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Silicon wafer

Samsung announced yesterday that its new 7nm node with EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) is fix to begin hazard production, just a week after TSMC made the same proclamation. Despite the close proximity in announcements, our understanding is that the two companies are actually in rather different places as far as the overall level of technology readiness. TSMC chose to deploy 7nm on conventional lithography first earlier deploying an EUV flavor of the node, while Samsung is going straight for EUV. Both companies are deploying the new lithography technology in limited course at 7nm before hopefully moving on to more avant-garde deployments at the 5nm node.

Samsung is projecting significant benefits from its new process, with an estimated twoscore percent improvement in surface area efficiency, 20 pct higher performance, or 50 per centum lower ability consumption. This is considerably larger than TSMC'due south ain predictions, only call back — TSMC is integrating EUV into an existing node. Samsung, in dissimilarity, is deploying 7nm and EUV simultaneously. The company predicts that adopting the technology will reduce the total number of masks required for an SoC pattern by 20 per centum. That figure should rise after EUV is adopted more fully. With that said, some have argued that the toll bending for EUV has actually been overplayed. Scotten Jones, President of IC Cognition, has written that he expects companies to adopt EUV considering information technology improves cycle time, reduced edge placement error (created when multiple masks are used, as in quadruple patterning) and for overall college pattern fidelity.

An example of the increased allegiance we're talking about. The pattern on the left was created using EUV, while the right side used conventional lithography. Image credit: Samsung

Samsung notes that its new 7nm EUV process is suitable for a range of applications, including 5G, AI, hyperscale data center products, IoT devices, automotive fries, and networking hardware. What'southward less clear is who the company'southward customers for this capacity might be. TSMC has locked upwardly a great bargain of 7nm volume and has stated information technology expects the node to account for more than 20 pct of its acquirement this year. We know that AMD is using TSMC for its GPUs and CPUs, as is Apple. The last fourth dimension we heard news of a Samsung / Qualcomm partnership, it was when rumors broke that Qualcomm had left Samsung and was headed to TSMC for its 7nm needs. In an article earlier this yr, ZDNet noted that some Samsung IP blocks wouldn't be bachelor until the start one-half of 2022, though it's non clear how much impact this will have on the types of designs the company can field or the companies it builds for.

This is all rather bleak for the proclamation of 7nm EUV availability from the merely company besides TSMC to offer the node to foundry customers, but Samsung has a backstop that a company like GlobalFoundries didn't. Samsung, like Intel, is an IDM, which ways it uses its own chips in its own hardware. In a situation in which the company has few customers, it can at to the lowest degree count on its own business.

That said, information technology's not articulate how much 7nm EUV volume Samsung volition actually run. Correct now, chips are beingness congenital in Samsung'due south S3 Fab, with a new EUV line expected to be in service by 2022 (and presumably deployed on at to the lowest degree 5nm). We'll have to wait and run into if Samsung announces whatsoever major customers, it'southward possible the 7nm introduction volition ultimately focus more on creating the tools and ecosystem Samsung will need to aggressively compete for clients later downwardly the line.

Now Read: Samsung Adds 8nm Process, Limited EUV Manufacturing in 2022, Intel Reportedly Won't Deploy EUV Lithography Until 2022, and TSMC Announces Offset EUV 7nm Risk Production, 5nm Tapeouts in Q2 2022