Samsung Secures AMD 4nm and Tesla 5nm Chip Orders
Recent reports indicate that Samsung's cutting-edge manufacturing facility has successfully secured significant orders from major corporations, including AMD and Tesla, presenting lucrative opportunities for stakeholders in the electronic components industry.
In a recent investor forum, Samsung disclosed its strategic vision for the manufacturing division, positioning itself as a formidable contender in the highly competitive semiconductor industry. Despite its predominant focus on the mobile division, company officials subtly hinted at a strategic shift towards diversifying the sales structure. This strategic pivot involves an intentional expansion of the customer base, particularly in high-growth sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automotive semiconductors.
Jeong Hai-Lin, President of Samsung, articulated the company's positioning: "Prominent enterprises, automotive OEMs, Tesla, and other esteemed clients are entrusting us with the manufacturing of chips tailored to their unique designs. When queried on the rationale behind choosing Samsung, our response underscores our corporate mission: to facilitate the transformation of imagination into reality within the semiconductor industry, covering manufacturing and storage. Notably, some clients are poised to bring to market the 4nm AI accelerators we've developed, and leading electric vehicle manufacturers in the automotive sector are advancing towards 5nm. Additionally, we are actively engaged in the development of a fully autonomous Chiplet version."
These statements underscore Samsung's pronounced interest in its advanced 4nm process, particularly in the domain of AI. Reliable sources report that Samsung has successfully conducted pivotal quality tests for the next-generation HBM3 memory, positioning itself for collaboration with AMD.
The ultimate role of Samsung in the development of the MI300 accelerator remains uncertain. AMD has underscored its reliance on TSMC for the realization of its accelerator. Consequently, Samsung may undertake the manufacturing of specific intellectual properties (IPs), while the overall chip design continues to align closely with TSMC's expertise. Alternatively, AMD may explore a dual-source supply strategy based on market demand.
In tandem with these developments, Samsung is actively establishing its sophisticated chip packaging ecosystem, aptly named "SAINT," poised to rival established competitors such as TSMC's CoWoS.
Beyond the AI sector, Samsung disclosed significant orders from Tesla, though specific details on the process type remain undisclosed. The mention of "5nm" strongly suggests applicability to Tesla's next-generation HW 5.0 chip, meticulously designed for cutting-edge applications in autonomous driving. As of this fiscal year, Samsung Electronics forecasts its sales distribution to comprise mobile (54%), HPC (19%), and automotive (11%) sectors, underscoring its diversified market presence.
