Samsung Electronics is all set to tackle Intel 14A and TSMC A14 with its own 1.4nm process technology, which should be ready in 2029.
Foundry Battle Heats Up With Samsung Electronics Aiming for Mass Production of 1.4nm Process Tech in 2029
Intel and TSMC are one of the leading firms working on 1.4nm class process technologies. Although each technology is fundamentally different than one another, both are officially designated as 1.4nm products. TSMC's A14 fabs are expected to come online next year & competitor Intel is also set to accelerate its 14A technology due to high demand, and major customers are already lining up, such as TeraFab and Apple.
With that said, Samsung is now reportedly "restarting" its 1.4nm foundry process, codenamed SF1.4. This process technology was initially primed for mass production in 2027, but as per the new schedule, the mass production is now targeted for 2029.
The 1.4nm process that Samsung Electronics is preparing for commercialization is a technology originally targeted for mass production next year. However, the company adjusted the 1.4nm mass production schedule to 2029 to concentrate its capabilities on securing competitiveness in the 2nm (SF2) and 2nm derivative processes (SF2P).
Samsung has been working with its domestic and international supply chain partners to advance the development of its process equipment to enable the SF1.4 technology. The first of these tools will be delivered to NRD-K, which is Samsung's bleeding-edge R&D hub for semiconductors. Some of the key partners include Applied Materials and Lam Research, who are the equipment partners of Samsung Electronics.
The decision to halt 1.4nm was initially made to strengthen 2nm processes such as SF2 and SF2P. These technologies offered better yields and were backed by an optimized production back-end. For 1.4nm, Samsung had to build brand-new production lines and had to invest in vastly newer tools, so it took some time to restart the 1.4nm project.
ASML, the leading supplier of EUV equipment, has already delivered its high-NA EUV lithography equipment to NRD-K, and Samsung is likely to adopt these first with 1.4nm. Besides 1.4nm node, Samsung is also expected to develop its next-gen V12 NAND, which is scheduled for production by 2030. Samsung is already eyeing over 1000 layers through multi-cell stacking technologies in 2030 and beyond.
Intel recently announced the beginning of risk production of its 18A-P node, a follow-up to 18A with better characteristics, and Samsung should have an advantage over TSMC since the latter isn't using high-NA EUV tools just yet, but TSMC is also working on an A16 node, which comes before A14. Once again, Samsung's 1.4nm in 2029 will be a strategic asset for the company's foundry division as it races to compete with Intel and TSMC, who will be a year ahead with their own 1.4nm-class process technologies.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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