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Samsung has reportedly significantly improved its 3nm yield rate in recent times. The yield rate initially hovered around 10-20% but has now increased by over threefold. The information came from noted X tipster @Tech_Reve. The source didn’t share a precise figure but said that Samsung’s 3nm yield is still lower than TSMC’s.
Samsung sees big improvement in 3nm yield
Yield rate is a measure of the usable chips manufactured at a facility. It is calculated as the percentage of the total number of chips produced to the maximum chip count on one wafer. If the yield rate is high, the number of defective chips is low. In other words, a high yield rate translates to a greater manufacturing capacity.
Samsung started making 3nm chips in 2022 but has been struggling with the yield rate. It switched from the FinFET transistor architecture to the more advanced GAA architecture and is seemingly unable to get things right. TSMC, the Korean firm’s arch-rival in the semiconductor foundry industry, is still using the FinFET architecture and is enjoying a better 3nm yield.
This has helped the Taiwanese company win big manufacturing contracts. Despite a headstart in 3nm mass production, Samsung is lagging behind its rival. There are some positive signs though, if the latest report is accurate. While TSMC still has a better 3nm yield, the technological gap between the two firm’s 3nm processes is narrowing.
According to the tipster, Samsung’s second-gen 3nm technology is now on par with TSMC’s N3P process node in terms of PPA (Power, Performance, and Area) metrics. Compared to 4nm chips, which employ the FinFET architecture, the power efficiency and logic area have increased by 20-30%. This should help Samsung gain some foothold in the 3nm semiconductor market.
Samsung’s 2nd-gen 3nm process is undergoing a confusing rebranding
The report about improved 3nm yield comes just weeks after Samsung informed its customers about a rebranding of its 2nd-gen 3nm process. The company will call the process 2nm instead of 2nd-gen 3nm. Yes, it is technically a 3 nanometer process but the Korean firm is renaming it to 2nm. Its “real” 2 nanometer chips are expected to arrive in the second half of 2025.
Samsung has already rewritten the manufacturing contracts it signed earlier for its 2nd-gen 3nm process. Japanese AI startup PFN (Preferred Networks) is its first customer of the rebranded 2nm chips. Qualcomm has also requested 2nm samples from Samsung, though it likely wants samples of the real 2nm chip and not the misleadingly rebranded one.
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