Analysts interpret Samsung's explicit mention of a 130% increase as a sign of the company's confidence in securing customer orders.
Samsung is reportedly achieving 50% yield in its 2nm GAA manufacturing process recently. Although this rate is still behind TSMC's 2nm process, the Korean giant has started to get things in order in the foundry business. TSMC's difficulty in keeping up with orders has also created a significant opportunity for Samsung.
Samsung's Confidence in 2nm Grows
According to recent reports, Samsung aims for a 130% increase in 2nm orders. Tesla is already one of the notable customers for this technology. The company had previously reportedly signed a $16.5 billion agreement with Samsung. Analysts interpret Samsung's explicit mention of a 130% increase as a sign of the company's confidence in securing customer support.
While high yield and stable mass production are key to success in the 2nm GAA process, Samsung is pursuing a highly aggressive order acquisition strategy for next-generation lithography, as reported by DigiTimes. The stabilization of Exynos 2600 production yields has paved the way for the company to now shift its focus to AI chips. South Korean analysts also view this 130% growth target as an indication of Samsung's ambition in acquiring customers.
US Factory Being Converted from 4nm to 2nm
Another indicator is the company's change of plans for its Taylor factory in the US, which was initially designed for 4nm production. Samsung is reportedly planning to shift to 2nm production there, both to gain market share from TSMC and to meet the US administration's expectations for local manufacturing. Testing of EUV equipment is scheduled to begin in March.
Despite the report mentioning "major customers," the absence of Qualcomm's name is noteworthy. While many companies are starting to see Samsung as an alternative to TSMC, there is no information regarding a potential collaboration with Qualcomm. Rumors suggest that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 models will exclusively use TSMC's 2nm N2P process this year. This situation indicates that a cooperation agreement between the two companies has not yet been reached.
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