“Samsung Electronics wins orders for Intel foundry outsourcing… GPU power”

It is known that Samsung Electronics has won semiconductor outsourcing (outsourced production) of Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor company.

On the 20th (US local time), “SemiAccurate,” a US IT market research media, said, “Another outsourcing transaction of Intel has been revealed,” and confirmed Samsung Electronics’ Intel GPU outsourcing contract.

According to the report, Samsung Electronics plans to produce Intel’s chips at a scale of 15,000 300mm wafers per month from the second half of this year at the Austin Foundry (fab) plant in Texas, USA.

“Considering that the Austin Fab has 14nm (nanometer: 1nm is 1 billionth of a meter) technology, the cooperation between Samsung and Intel is not a central processing unit (CPU), but a graphics processing unit (GPU) and chipset. It is highly likely to start with production,” he said.

If such a report turns out to be true, Intel will reveal a strategy to entrust semiconductor outsourcing with a dual vendor system of Samsung Electronics and TSMC rather than an exclusive contract with TSMC in Taiwan. Currently, among the world’s foundry companies, only Samsung Electronics and TSMC can make advanced semiconductors under 7nm required by Intel.

From the perspective of Samsung Electronics, if it wins the Intel supply, it will be able to secure the power to pursue TSMC, which has formalized the previous-generation facility investment plan this year. Prior to that, TSMC has recently signed a contract with Intel. To this end, it is constructing a plant for advanced 5nm or less process in Arizona, USA, with the goal of operating in 2023.

In this regard, Intel is expected to unveil its detailed plans for semiconductor outsourcing through a performance announcement event for the fourth quarter of last year at 2 p.m. local time on the 21st (7 a.m. KST) on the 21st.

Kim Sun-woo, a researcher at Meritz Securities, said, “Intel recently signed a contract for semiconductor outsourcing with Samsung Electronics, and it is known that the related details will be disclosed through a performance announcement.” It has shown high reliability,” he said.

Semi Accurate Samsung Intel related news screen [사진=세미애큐리트 홈페이지 캡처]