Samsung Electronics has once again made significant progress in semiconductor manufacturing, successfully winning a 2nm process foundry order from Ambarella, a United States AI chip company. This collaboration not only marks the acceleration of Samsung's commercialization in the field of cutting-edge process technology, but also heralds its important role in the development of autonomous driving technology.
Samsung has a long history of cooperation with Ambarella, and has previously OEM 5nm ADAS chips for Ambarella. With the upgrade of the technology cooperation, Samsung plans to start the production of ADAS chips on the 2nm process next year, and is expected to achieve full commercialization by the end of 2026. In June, Samsung showcased its 2nm process node SF2A for automotive chips and said it would launch it in 2027. This progress not only demonstrates Samsung's strength in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, but also positions it well in the future market competition. As a leading company focusing on automotive and artificial intelligence video processing technology, Ambarella's chip products play a key role in autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. The choice to deepen cooperation with Samsung this time is undoubtedly a high recognition of Samsung's technical strength and production capacity.
Ambarella aims to start commercial production in 2026, so Samsung's new process node could be operational sooner than originally planned, sources said.
Figure: Samsung's 2nm wafer is an Ambarella OEM ADAS chip
Although TSMC still occupies a leading position in the global foundry market, Samsung is gradually narrowing the gap with its competitors with continuous technological innovation and market expansion. According to market research firm TrendForce, Samsung has captured 11.5% of the market share in the second quarter, showing strong growth momentum. Samsung's foundry business also includes a number of well-known chip designers, including NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, and this diversified customer base provides solid support for Samsung's future development in the semiconductor industry.
Samsung Electronics' 2nm process uses a multi-bridge-channel field-effect transistor (MBCFET) architecture, which is expected to deliver significant improvements in performance and power consumption compared to conventional FinFET technology. However, the current yield rate is only 10-20%, much lower than the 60-70% of its main competitor TSMC, which puts pressure on Samsung's mass production plans. Despite the challenges, Samsung is actively seeking solutions to improve yield and remain competitive in the semiconductor industry.
As the global semiconductor market continues to evolve, Samsung is consolidating its leadership position in the industry by pushing through technical bottlenecks and expanding its partner network. In the future, Samsung will continue to focus on promoting the innovation and development of semiconductor technology to meet the growing market demand. This strategic move is expected to further promote Samsung's competitiveness in the global foundry market, while also providing strong technical support for the development of autonomous driving technology.
