Samsung Set to Secure AMD & Google 2nm Orders

Recent reports indicate that while TSMC's first 4nm fab in Arizona has started mass production, its under-construction 3nm facility may not be ready until 2027. Even then, these US-based plants will trail TSMC's most advanced Taiwan fabs by two technology generations.

Samsung Electronics is looking to seize this opportunity. The company plans to start mass production of its cutting-edge 2nm process at its Taylor, Texas plant, strengthening collaborations with Tesla and attracting major US tech companies like AMD and Google.

Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong has reportedly discussed next-generation AI chip development, semiconductor supply stability, and leveraging US manufacturing infrastructure with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In July, Samsung signed a KRW 23 trillion wafer deal to produce Tesla's next-gen AI chip, AI6, at the Taylor facility.

Rumors suggest that Samsung is also collaborating with AMD on sample testing of its 2nm second-generation (SF2P) process. Google executives overseeing its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) have visited the Taylor plant to discuss production capacity. TPUs, designed for Google's data centers, are increasingly positioned as competitors to NVIDIA's AI data center chips, and Google plans to sell them externally to companies like Meta.

By comparison, TSMC's second Arizona plant may start 3nm production around 2027. Given that TSMC is expected to advance to a 1.6nm process in Taiwan by then, the 3nm US fabs will be two generations behind its latest technology.

Samsung, meanwhile, aims to begin US 2nm mass production as early as next year. According to Sedaily, the Taylor plant was 93.6% complete by Q3 and is expected to be fully operational by July 2026, with mass production possible by year-end. This could make Samsung the only foreign company producing 2nm chips in the US, capitalizing on high demand and TSMC's limited US output.

Globally, TSMC held a 71% share of the wafer foundry market in Q3, with nearly all AI chip orders, up from 61.2% in Q4 2023. Despite this growth, capacity constraints give Samsung a significant opportunity in advanced US wafer manufacturing.

Apple is already facing capacity limits for next-gen 2nm chips, securing almost half of TSMC's 2nm output. NVIDIA, another major TSMC client, reportedly plans 2nm production starting in 2027. As a result, competitors like Qualcomm, AMD, and Google are looking toward Samsung's US facilities to meet demand for cutting-edge semiconductor processes.