There are assessments that Samsung Electronics foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) ecosystem has entered a recovery phase. Along with changes in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor market, mass-production projects of domestic design houses that had been sluggish are resuming in earnest, making a rebound in results visible. Foundry refers to the business of taking chips designed by fabless (semiconductor design companies) and producing them as actual wafers, while design houses optimize those designs for foundry processes and handle everything from prototype fabrication to mass production.
According to FnGuide on the 28th, three major domestic design houses—ADTechnology, GAONCHIPS, and Semifive—are expected to swing to a profit in 2026 with an average sales growth rate of 70.4%, total sales of 597.5 billion won, and operating profit of 48.1 billion won. Semifive's mass-production revenue is projected to expand from 21.4 billion won to 102.6 billion won. Projects that had remained in the development and design stages have shifted to mass production and been monetized, showing that the design and mass-production ecosystem premised on Samsung foundry processes is recovering.
ADTechnology is estimated to post sales of 220.7 billion won and operating profit of 16.3 billion won this year. Sales would be up 40.4% from a year earlier, and operating profit would increase 526.9%. Mass production is scheduled for Soteria's 4-nanometer (nm) AI chip and Zaram Technology's 14-nanometer communications chip. This is the first mass-production achievement since converting to a Samsung foundry design house.
GAONCHIPS is also tallied to record sales of 107.8 billion won and operating profit of 8.7 billion won this year. Sales would rise 78.2%, and operating profit is analyzed to return to the black in one year. Its first 2-nanometer project, PFN's AI chip from Japan, is expected to go into mass production in the second half.
Recently listed Semifive is likewise estimated to post sales of 269 billion won and operating profit of 23.1 billion won this year. Sales would increase 92.5%, and operating profit is expected to swing to a profit from a 33.8 billion won loss last year. Key mass-production chips include Hanwha Vision's 8-nanometer AI chip, HyperExcel's 4-nanometer inference AI chip, and a display driver IC (DDIC) for a Chinese Augmented Reality (AR) glasses company.
The improvement in results as design houses' mass-production projects roll out one after another is an indicator of a recovery in Samsung foundry's competitiveness. As design houses that had suffered from order slowdowns and mass-production delays secure a turning point for a rebound this year, there is an assessment that Samsung foundry processes are again being chosen as a practical mass-production option.
In addition, growth in the AI application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) market is creating additional order opportunities for Samsung foundry. According to market research firm Infiniti Research, the global AI ASIC market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 35.9% after 2024, expanding to $38.3 billion in 2025 and $70.4 billion in 2027. As global big tech corporations, including Tesla, design their own autonomous driving and inference AI chips, they are reducing dependence on single foundries such as TSMC and pursuing a strategy of diversifying supply chains, which is cited as a background for the resurgence of Samsung, the No. 2 foundry.
An industry official said, "Rather than a short-term order recovery, it is a signal that the foundry ecosystem linking design to mass production has started running again," and added, "The earnings rebound at design houses means Samsung foundry's competitiveness has entered a phase of being verified based on actual volumes."