Samsung Foundry New 5nm EUV chip factory planned for late 2021

Samsung builds new 5nm EUV foundry line in South Korea

Samsung is scheduled to start mass production of 5nm EUV.

Samsung has started construction of a new factory for semiconductor manufacturing in South Korea. This is to be implemented unusually quickly, which is due to the spatial proximity to existing complexes. The focus on 5 nm production, including EUV lithography, should make the site future-proof.

After problems in the interim last year due to the dependence on Japanese suppliers, which were not available due to strained relationships and had almost led to the shutdown of production lines, The capacity expansion stopped at that time is again on the previously planned path.

Investments in research, development and foundry business

The new production line, as Samsung calls the factories, will expand the existing site in Pyeongtaek, which is already one of Samsung’s largest. With the planned plant, Samsung will operate a total of six 300 mm wafer plants and a 200 mm plant at locations in South Korea and the USA. Samsung plans to invest heavily in the semiconductor business in the coming years, over 100 billion euros had been mentioned last year, the bulk of it in research, development and the foundry business. Here one does not want to lose the connection to TSMC.

Focus on EUV in 5 nm and smaller.

EUV lithography and also 5 nm are still used to a lesser extent at Samsung. Although the pilot process with 7 nm and EUV was launched at the factory in Hwaseong last year, a 5 nm process will only follow in the second half of this year. With the start of production in the second half of 2021 already in the new factory in Pyeongtaek, the EUV capacity of Samsung Foundry is expected to increase significantly according to the manufacturer.

Both locations will thus go almost in step with each other in the future, with the current advantage being the also very young existing V1 line. Samsung has been planning for a long time with the 3 nm process for the V1 line in Hwaseong, while the press release for the new Pyeongtaek line states that it will be built for 5 nm and smaller production technologies. However, the entire complex in Pyeongtaek is not old either, and it was only established in 2015 as the world’s largest production site for semiconductors.