14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung has recently announced that its foundry business is getting ready to start manufacturing chips using the 32nm and 28nm fabrication process, as the company has received no less than 35 tape outs that use this technology from its customers.
This could mean that Samsung could start mass production of 32nm and 28nm chips at the same time with some of the biggest players in the industry, such as GlobalFoundries and TSMC.
“As of today, we have received 35 tape outs from our customers at 32nm and 28nm and many more are in the pipeline for tape out this year,” said Ana Hunter, vice president of Samsung’s North American foundry services, in a blog post.
“Customers are anxious to capitalize on the benefits of HKMG higher performance with lower power consumption.”
Right now, it is still unclear when Samsung starts mass producing high-k metal gate 28nm and 32nm silicon, but the first chips should arrive by the end of 2011 (most probably in the fourth quarter).
In the six years that Samsung has been running its foundry business, the company has managed to catch up with its rivals, as far as fabrication technology is concerned, thanks to its focus on advanced technology nodes.
Furthermore, Samsung is about to become one of the world's top three foundries along with TSMC and Globalfoundries.
Right now, the largest part of the chips produced by Samsung are built on the 45nm node and the company will expand its production facilities with a new Austin, Texas fab that should produce about 40,000 300mm wafers per month by the end of 2011.
Later this year, Samsung Foundry Services will also start test manufacturing chips using the high-K metal gate (HKMG) 20nm process technology. (via Xbit Labs)