In order to develop the 1nm process next-generation equipment will be required, including High-NA EUV lithography machines. Samsung Electronics reportedly brought in its first High-NA EUV tool - the EXE:5000 - to its Hwaseong campus last month.
Samsung’s 1.0nm process, which has been dubbed the “dream semiconductor process”, goes beyond its current foundry roadmap, where the most advanced node is the 1.4nm process which is scheduled for mass production in 2027. Reports suggest that Samsung aims to fast-track 1nm-class development as a potential path to a turnaround.
In other reports, Samsung’s 2nm process is said to have reached an initial yield of over 30%, and the company is aiming to stabilise the process in the second half of 2025 in preparation for the mass production of the Exynos 2600.
Samsung, however, appears to be trailing TSMC in the 2nm race. TSMC’s Baoshan plant in Hsinchu - a key hub for its 2nm production - began accepting pre-orders for the second half of 2025 earlier this month, while its Kaohsiung plant in Southern Taiwan featuring 2nm broke ground at the end of March.
TSMC’s 1.4nm development is also gaining momentum and the foundry giant has recently informed suppliers to prepare for the necessary manufacturing equipment for the node for a trial production line to be set up this year at the Baoshan (Fab 20) P2 plant in Hsinchu.
Its Fab 25, located in the Central Taiwan Science Park, will also serve as a key production hub for 1.4nm, and TSMC plans to build four 1.4nm fabs at Fab 25, with the P1 facility targeting risk trial production by 2027 and full-scale manufacturing expected by late 2028.
