Samsung 2nm Yield Reaches 50%
According to reports, Samsung Electronics has reached a major milestone in its advanced process roadmap, with yields on its 2nm GAA (gate-all-around) process, known as SF2, now reported to be around 50%. The recent ramp-up of the Exynos 2600 processor, built on this node, appears to confirm that progress.
Samsung is said to have started mass production of the Exynos 2600 in September 2025 using its first-generation 2nm GAA technology. Even before volume production began, industry sources estimated yields at roughly 50%, with an internal target of 70%. This marks a significant improvement over Samsung's earlier 3nm process, which struggled for an extended period to move beyond 30% yield and led to lost business. Notably, unlike the 3nm-based Exynos 2500, the Exynos 2600 has not shown any critical defects during its early production phase.
A semiconductor industry official noted that while exact figures can vary depending on qualification standards, yields for the Exynos 2600 have stabilized at around 50%. The same source added that Samsung's Mobile eXperience (MX) division is expected to actively adopt the chipset, potentially accounting for about 25% of total Galaxy smartphone shipments.
Further highlighting Samsung's rapid progress, Chinese cryptocurrency mining hardware makers MicroBT and Canaan have reportedly placed orders using Samsung's first-generation 2nm GAA process. These wins underscore how much the company's 2nm technology has advanced in just the past 12 months.
Despite this momentum, industry consensus suggests that Samsung's real turnaround in leading-edge foundry competition depends more heavily on its second-generation 2nm process, SF2P. Compared with SF2, SF2P is expected to deliver a 12% performance gain, a 25% improvement in power efficiency, and an 8% reduction in chip area.
Another industry source revealed that Samsung has been developing SF2P alongside SF2 and completed the base process design kit (PDK) around the middle of last year. Samsung has also reportedly shared guidance with design solution partners, actively promoting SF2P over the first-generation SF2, signaling a strategic shift in resource allocation toward the newer node.
SF2P is expected to debut in the upcoming Exynos 2700, which is rumored to support next-generation standards such as LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage. Beyond Samsung's own processors, Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip is also expected to enter mass production on the SF2P node. The two companies previously signed a large-scale agreement valued at approximately US$16.5 billion. According to reports, initial AI6 samples will be produced using Samsung's domestic fabrication and packaging facilities, followed by full-scale production at the new Taylor, Texas fab.
Even so, industry observers caution that it will still take years for Samsung to emerge as a truly formidable challenger to TSMC in advanced foundry manufacturing. The success of SF2P-based products such as the Exynos 2700 and Tesla's AI6 will be critical proof points. Samsung has set a clear goal of turning its foundry business profitable by 2027, making the next few process generations particularly decisive.
