New Line to Focus on 5-nm and below EUV Products
Samsung Electronics announced on May 21 that it will boost its foundry capacity at the company's new production line in Pyeongtaek, Korea, to meet growing global demand for cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet (EUV) solutions.
The new foundry line will focus on EUV-based 5 nanometer (nm) and below process technology. Construction started this month, with full operation expected to begin in the second half of 2021. It will play a pivotal role as Samsung aims to expand the use of state-of-the-art process technologies across a myriad of current and next generation applications, including 5G, high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI).
“This new production facility will expand Samsung’s manufacturing capabilities for sub-5-nm process and enable us to rapidly respond to the increasing demand for EUV-based solutions,” said ES Jung, president and head of foundry business at Samsung Electronics. “We remain committed to addressing the needs of our customers through active investments and recruitment of talents. This will enable us to continue to break new ground while driving robust growth for Samsung’s foundry business.”
Following the initial mass production of the EUV-based 7-nm process in early 2019, Samsung recently added a new EUV-dedicated V1 line in Hwaseong, Korea, to its global foundry network. With the new Pyeongtaek facility starting full operation in 2021, Samsung’s foundry capacity based on EUV is expected to increase significantly.
Samsung is scheduled to start mass production of 5-nm EUV process in the Hwaseong fab in the second half of this year.
With the addition of the Pyeongtaek fab, Samsung will have a total of seven foundry production lines located in South Korea and the United States, comprised of six 12-inch lines and one 8-inch line.