The Taylor plant in in Texas was established to realize Samsung’s vision of mass producing wafers on next-generation technologies that would utilize the GAA, or ‘Gate All Around’ process. Unfortunately, the Korean giant has hit yet another snag when it comes to yields for its 2nm GAA node, with a new report stating that the company has been forced to withdraw personnel from its facility.
The Taylor hub was initially planned to mass produce wafers of advanced processes below the 4nm lithography, allowing Samsung to secure lucrative clients in the U.S. Unfortunately, despite progressing with the chip-making plant, the company has faced a challenge that has become all too familiar with the entity; ensuring healthy yields, particularly with its 2nm GAA process. The situation surrounding 3nm GAA is not pretty either, with Business Korea reporting that Samsung’s yields for this technology stand at 50 percent, whereas TSMC has a significant lead as its 3nm yields are in the 60-70 percent range.
Samsung’s failure to increase this figure prevented it from securing orders from Qualcomm for its upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which were given exclusively to TSMC instead. With its 2nm GAA process, the story does not see a change in direction, with an industry insider stating that yields are in a poor 10-20 percent range, making it insufficient to commence mass production, let alone receive orders. This horrendous state is what forced Samsung to reconsider its stance on the Taylor plant in Texas, withdrawing personnel from it and keeping a small workforce stationed.
Qualcomm is rumored to have been wanting to include Samsung for its Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 orders for next year, as giving TSMC
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