Wired
Samsung announced that it has started chip production on the 3nm process ahead of TSMC.
The 1st generation 3nm process has 45% lower power consumption and 23% higher performance than the 5nm process, and it is said that it will be further improved after the 2nd generation.
Samsung started production of 3nm process chip with GAA FET, the world’s first
Samsung updated its blog on June 30, 2022, announcing that it has begun chip production on the 3nm process.
A feature of this process is the adoption of GAA (Gate-All-Around) FETs, in which all sides of the channel are surrounded by gates.
While the textbook transistor has only one side and the FinFET, which is the mainstream in the current advanced process, has three sides, the GAA FET has four sides surrounded by gates, and the driving force is further improved compared to FinFET.
According to Samsung, the first-generation Samsung 3nm process has achieved 45% power consumption reduction, 23% performance improvement and 16% area reduction compared to the company’s 5nm process.
Performance is further improved after the second generation
Samsung will continue to improve the 3nm process, with the goal of reducing power consumption, performance by 30% and area by 35% compared to the 5nm process in the second generation.
However, all of these comparisons are made at a 5nm ratio, not the 4nm process used by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and others.
Also, Google’s 2nd generation Tensor chip is said to be produced by Samsung, but it is expected to be produced by the 4nm process instead of the 3nm process announced this time.
Source: Samsung via 9to5Google
(Hauser)
Source: iPhone Mania