The Core of Your Question: Why are 5nm/4nm Chips “Coming One After Another”?

The terms “5nm” and “4nm” have become marketing labels that represent a generation of semiconductor technology, rather than a precise physical measurement. The rapid succession is due to a few key factors:

1. Incremental Improvement (“Node Shrinking”): 4nm is essentially a performance, power, and density refinement of the 5nm process. It uses the same fundamental technology (FinFET transistors) but with optimizations that make it cheaper and lower-risk than a full node jump to 3nm.

2. Market Demand: The explosion in AI, high-performance smartphones, and other compute-intensive applications drives the need for more powerful and efficient chips every year.

3. Competitive Pressure: With only two players left in the race for the most advanced nodes (TSMC and Samsung), neither can afford to fall behind. Releasing refined nodes like 4nm allows them to claim leadership and attract customers.

Samsung’s Chip Foundry Plans Exposed: A Multi-Pronged Strategy

Samsung Foundry is aggressively pursuing TSMC’s dominance. Their recently exposed and announced plans reveal a clear, multi-pronged strategy.

1. The 4nm Catch-Up and Stabilization

This is Samsung’s most immediate and critical battle. After facing well-publicized yield issues with its initial 4nm process (which affected early Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Google Tensor chips), Samsung has been working tirelessly to fix them.

• The Goal: Achieve yields (the percentage of working chips on a wafer) that are competitive with TSMC. Higher yields mean lower costs and happier customers.

• The Evidence: Reports suggest yields have improved significantly. A major vote of confidence came from NVIDIA, which chose Samsung to manufacture a portion of its GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs (like the RTX 4070) using the refined 4nm process. This is a huge win, as NVIDIA had moved its flagship chips to TSMC.

2. The 3nm Breakthrough with GAAFET Transistors

This is Samsung’s big technological bet to leapfrog TSMC.

• The Technology: Samsung was the first to mass-produce chips using Gate-All-Around (GAAFET) transistors at the 3nm node (dubbed 3GAA). This is a fundamental architectural shift from the FinFET transistors used in 5nm and 4nm. GAA transistors provide better control over the channel, reducing leakage and improving performance and power efficiency.

• The Clients: While the initial high-profile client is a Chinese ASIC miner, the technology is being proven. The key will be to attract major players like Qualcomm or AMD for their future designs.

3. The Ambitious 2nm Roadmap (“SF2”)

Samsung knows the race doesn’t stop at 3nm. Its 2nm plan is its most forward-looking and aggressive gambit.

• The Timeline:

  • 2025: Mass production of 2nm chips for mobile applications.

  • 2026: Expand 2nm to High-Performance Computing (HPC).

  • 2027: Introduce a refined version with a backside power delivery network, a technology that can further boost performance by reducing power delivery interference. This directly competes with TSMC’s similar “Super PowerVia” plan.

• The Target Clients: Samsung is openly targeting former TSMC customers. They have specifically named companies like NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and IBM as targets for their 2nm process.

The Competitive Landscape: Samsung vs. TSMC

To understand Samsung’s plans, you must see them in contrast to TSMC.

Conclusion: What This Means for the Market

The exposure of Samsung’s plans confirms a fierce, two-horse race that is beneficial for the entire tech industry.

1. More Choice for Chip Designers: Companies like NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Google now have a viable, competitive alternative to TSMC. This gives them leverage in negotiations and a backup for supply chain security.

2. Faster Innovation: The intense competition will accelerate the development and deployment of new transistor technologies like GAA and backside power delivery.

3. Trickle-Down Benefits: While the latest iPhones and GPUs get the 4nm/3nm chips first, the technology and manufacturing expertise will eventually benefit a wider range of devices, from laptops to automotive chips.

In short, the “one after another” arrival of 5nm and 4nm chips is the visible symptom of a deep, strategic battle where Samsung is pulling out all the stops to challenge TSMC’s throne, using a combination of yield recovery, technological boldness, and an aggressive roadmap.