Samsung introduces new turnkey foundry service, advanced nodes for AI chips

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled an up to date roadmap for its most superior chip nodes catered for AI chips. The South Korean tech large additionally launched a brand new turnkey service that leverages its a number of chip enterprise areas to entice firms resembling Nvidia and AMD to make use of its foundry, or contract chip manufacturing, service for his or her AI chips.

The announcement marks the shifting focus of Samsung Foundry, the corporate’s contract chip-making enterprise unit, to chips for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) relatively than processors on cell gadgets.

Samsung Foundry’s AI gross sales have elevated by 80% over the previous yr and it was making vital strides in diversifying its buyer base and software areas amid evolving market demand, the corporate famous. The tech large goals to have over 50% of its foundry income introduced in outdoors of cell, it additionally stated.

At Samsung Foundry Discussion board, its annual occasion for foundry themed this yr as Empowering the AI Revolution, held at San Jose, the corporate confirmed off its new 2-nanometer (nm) and 4nm course of nodes, known as SF2Z and SF4U, respectively.

SF2Z incorporates what known as a bottom energy supply community (BSPDN) to a standard 2nm node (Samsung’s SF2), the place the ability rails are positioned on the bottom of the wafer. Present chips have all of the parts in a chip resembling reminiscence, logic, and energy rails on the entrance facet of the wafer. Different contract chip makers are additionally getting ready their very own BSPDN applied sciences __ Intel calls it PoweVia and TSMC refers it to as Tremendous PowerRail which they’re additionally planning to undertake for his or her 2nm or below node chips.

In response to Samsung, placing the ability rails on the bottom as an alternative enhances the ability, efficiency, and space (PPA) and voltage drop. SF2Z is aimed toward high-performance computing (HPC) and AI chips and can roll out in 2027. Samsung already stated beforehand that SF2 will launch in 2025 previous to the discussion board.

Samsung was the primary to start out manufacturing of a 3nm gate-all-around (GAA) node in 2022. On the discussion board, Samsung famous that its GAA course of was maturing by way of efficiency and yield and a second-generation 3nm node known as SF3 will launch later this yr. GAA may also be adopted to its 2nm node launching subsequent yr, the corporate stated.

SF4U, in the meantime, is a variant of its 4nm, SF4 course of that gives PPA boosts utilizing optical shrink, the place an present die design by the shopper is scaled down to suit into the newer node. This protects them in value as no main architectural adjustments within the chip’s design is required for them emigrate into the extra superior node. SF4U is launching in 2025 whereas Samsung already presents SF4 to clients. The South Korean tech large additionally reiterated that its 1.4nm node (SF1.4) will launch in 2027 and was additionally getting ready for chips under 1.4nm.

Samsung additionally unveiled its new turnkey foundry platform dubbed Samsung AI Options. This platform is obtainable collectively by Samsung’s three enterprise items in its chip division, Foundry, Reminiscence, and Superior Bundle (AVP). 

In response to the corporate, the platform integrates the “distinctive strengths” of every of those enterprise items that can permit Samsung to supply options for purchasers tailor-made for the particular necessities for his or her AI chips. General, it would present extra bandwidth in a compact type issue, scale back energy consumption, and enhance sign integrity, Samsung stated.

As a result of it’s the solely chipmaker that may provide reminiscence chips to go along with the shopper’s chip, manufacture these chips in addition to bundle them, Samsung stated this streamlines provide chain administration and reduces time to marketplace for the shopper. The corporate stated Samsung AI Options presents a 20% enchancment in whole turnaround time for purchasers. Samsung AI Options will likely be supplied with co-packaged optics (CPO) __ the place even the optics are packaged __ in 2027, the South Korean tech large stated.

Samsung’s determination so as to add extra variants to its course of nodes is smart as a technique for AI, a normal time period that the truth is encompasses all kinds of various chips designed for various duties and scales. Some are made for ChatGPT and different massive language fashions. Some are for imaginative and prescient and picture processing to be used in drones and show gadgets. Others are AI accelerators for knowledge facilities.

In response to market analysis agency Omdia, the worldwide foundry market is anticipated to develop 18.1% a yr on common from 2023 when it was price $103.55 billion to 2027, when it’s anticipated to be price $201.28 billion. Development in cutting-edge nodes of 3nm and below could have essentially the most marked development at 92.3% per yr on common over the time interval, the analysis agency’s forecast famous.

Samsung is the world’s largest reminiscence chip producer and the second-largest contract chipmaker. Its Reminiscence Enterprise is making an attempt to win Nvidia as a buyer for its HBM3E chips, that are used along with the GPU maker’s AI accelerators.