Minister Lee Chang-yang of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) participated in a ceremony to ship foundry chips, mass produced by the world’s first 3-nanometer technology, at Samsung Electronics’ Hwaseong Campus, on July 25.
Samsung Electronics has become the world’s first company to mass produce foundry chips with a 3-nanometer technology, putting the company ahead of its archrival TSMC in the competition over the advanced chip manufacturing process.
Samsung Electronics said the 3-nano technology process can cut power consumption by up to 45 percent and raise performance by 23 percent compared to the conventional 5-nano chips.
Among about 100 people on hand at the ceremony were MOTIE Minister Lee, Samsung Electronics CEO Kyung Kye-hyun, semiconductor raw materials, parts and equipment firm officials and fabless company officials.
Samsung Electronics has started mass production of its 3-nanometer process node applying Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistor architecture. Multi-Bridge-Channel FET (MBCFET), Samsung’s GAA technology implemented for the first time ever, defies the performance limitations of FinFET, according to the company, improving power efficiency. It does so by reducing the supply voltage level, while also enhancing performance by increasing drive current capability.
“Samsung has grown rapidly as we continue to demonstrate leadership in applying next-generation technologies to manufacturing, such as foundry industry’s first High-K Metal Gate, FinFET, as well as EUV. We seek to continue this leadership with the world’s first 3nm process with the MBCFET™,” said a Samsung Electronics official said.
Now that Samsung Electronics had also developed extra fine process raw material, equipment and intellectual properties with Korean raw materials, parts and equipment makers as well as system chip producers, mass production of 3-nano foundry chips may be evaluated to be the joint work by the Korean semiconductor industry.
Mass production of 3-nano foundry chips takes on significance in an economic security perspective since advanced chip manufacturing facilities are national security assets.
Korea is expected to see its global standing further go up not only as a memory chip production center but also as an advanced system chip producer by contributing to the development of the global semiconductor supply chains.
MOTIE Minister Lee gave words of appreciation to Samsung Electronics executives and staff for their efforts over the development of the 3-nano chip manufacturing process technology.
Lee urged Samsung Electronics, system chip makers, raw materials, parts and equipment producers to join forces in raising the yield of the 3-nano chip process technology down the road.
Minister Lee said the government would do not spare efforts to support the private sector’s investment, nurture manpower, develop technologies and build the raw materials, parts and equipment ecosystem based on strategies to develop Korea a semiconductor super power, announced last week.
PPP’s Special Committee Designed to Ramp Up Competition of Semiconductor Industry Inaugurated
The ruling People Power Party’s “Special Committee Designed to Ramp Up Competition of Semiconductor Industry,” headed by Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, an ex-Democratic Party member and now an independent, had an inaugural meeting at the National Assembly Parliamentarians’ Hall on June 28.
Chairperson Yang said she felt emotional that the importance and urgency of the semiconductor sector is a consensus of the times, and the great changes were the work of her seven-year efforts.
Chairperson Yang said the semiconductor sector of the times is part of the economy, diplomacy and security, and it accounts for about 6 percent of Korea’s GDP and 20 percent of the nation’s exports.
The semiconductor sector has emerged as the most effective diplomatic means of managing the U.S.-Chinese hegemony competition and it has changed into a core part of Korea-U.S. security alliance, dubbed “Semiconductor Shield.”
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