Samsung Electronics on the 1st unveiled a broad strategy for next-generation foundry technologies, including the 2-nanometer (nm) process and design-technology co-optimization (DTCO). It said the state-of-the-art 1.4 nm process (SF1.4) is also being developed smoothly with the goal of mass production in 2029.
Samsung Electronics on this day held the SAFE Forum 2026 at its Seocho office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and said it would become "the central link of the AI industry." It aims to strengthen its role as a platform encompassing Korea's entire system semiconductor industry.
Shin Jong-shin, head of design platform development at the foundry business unit of Samsung Electronics, said in a keynote address, "We are ramping up collaboration with global AI and high-performance computing (HPC) customers while also strengthening cooperation with domestic system semiconductor customers," adding, "We will go beyond foundry production and reinforce our role as a platform for the domestic system semiconductor industry." Shin, a vice president, said, "The most advanced 1.4 nm process (SF1.4) is being developed smoothly with the goal of mass production in 2029, and the improved node SF1.4 Plus, which further boosts Production yield and performance, is slated for 2030."
The 2 nm process, where market demand is high, will also continue to be advanced. Samsung Electronics plans to introduce SF2P Plus, a performance-improved version, between 2027 and 2028, and then evolve it into the subsequent SF2X process. SF2X is a next-generation process that maintains IP compatibility with SF2P and SF2P Plus.
About 400 people from customer and partner companies attended the event. Twenty-one corporations, including those in electronic design automation (EDA), intellectual property (IP), design solution partners (DSP), virtual design partners (VDP), and advanced packaging (MDI), set up booths to showcase a variety of solutions supporting Samsung Electronics' foundry customers.
AI fabless companies Rebellions and EDA company Siemens EDA also took part as speakers. The two companies presented cases of developing AI Semiconductor using Samsung Electronics' foundry processes and plans to support 2.5D and 3D chip design.
Rebellions CEO Park Sung-hyun said, "We developed the 'Rebel100' Neural Processing Unit (NPU) based on Samsung Electronics' 4 nm foundry process and advanced packaging," adding, "Going forward, we will cooperate in the AI Semiconductor space to build sovereign AI." Sovereign AI refers to a strategy to reduce technological dependence on specific countries or corporations and secure control over domestic data and algorithms.
Marie Bruene Jang, executive vice president at Siemens EDA, said, "In 2.5D and 3D heterogeneous chip integration, broad support in Production yield, design verification, reliability, and packaging is essential," adding, "Siemens EDA will help customers quickly implement AI and HPC semiconductors by leveraging Samsung's leading-edge processes."