[이코노믹리뷰=최진홍 기자] Bloomberg reported on the 22nd (local time) that Samsung Electronics is considering expanding a semiconductor plant by investing 10 billion dollars in Austin. It is explained that the construction of the plant started this year, and it aims to be completed by 2023, and it aims to produce a process below 3 nanometers.
With TSMC, the number one in the global foundry market, announced its 5-nano process production plan by investing $12 billion in Arizona, Samsung Electronics is also actively taking on micro-processing challenges.
At the Austin plant in the US, Samsung Electronics is producing 10-nano system semiconductors and memory semiconductors. Samsung Electronics is in the position of “There is no definite decision”, but if Samsung Electronics expands its local plant, it seems that it has prepared special measures to strengthen its foundry market leadership.
Meanwhile, in the industry, it is said that Samsung Electronics’ expansion of the Austin plant goes beyond enhancing microprocessing competitiveness and is preparing for the possibility of strategic cooperation with Intel.
Intel recently showed a willingness to produce 7-nano process directly in its 4Q results announcement, but did not exclude the possibility of consignment production for some products. In the midst of this, industry forecasts that TSMC will consign GPUs and Samsung Electronics will consign CPUs.
However, the atmosphere in the industry has changed again as it is highly likely that Samsung Electronics will win a South Bridge order rather than a CPU. In this situation, there are reports that Samsung Electronics is planning to produce Intel chips with a scale of 15,000 300mm wafers per month from the second half of this year at the Austin Foundry Plant. This is the reason for the analysis that Samsung Electronics’ expansion plan will be an investment to further digest Intel’s additional volume.
Although Intel has declared direct production of 7-nano process, the competitiveness of direct production has already decreased significantly compared to its competitors, and there is considerable skepticism in the industry over how much Intel will maintain the direct production of 7-nano process.
In that extension, TSMC recently received Intel’s consignment production to expand its line, while Samsung Electronics is also expanding its lineup, and the atmosphere in the industry is heating up.
While TSMC is highly likely to digest core GPUs, it is predicted that Samsung Electronics will gradually increase the number of packages after receiving orders for South Bridge rather than CPUs.
According to the market research firm Trend Force, TSMC accounted for 55.6% of the global foundry market in the fourth quarter of last year and Samsung Electronics accounted for 16.4%. In the midst of this, there is a prospect that the battle in the Intel’foot’ market will be more intense.
Meritz Securities researcher Kim Sun-woo said, “As TSMC’s Arizona fab will be ready only in 2023, US mainland partners are required during the hiatus of this year and next year.” “It is judged to be a joint use decision considering the uncertainty of the yield and productivity gap of electrons.”