TSMC unveils 1.4nm process while Samsung Foundry weighs its options

Taiwan-based TSMC, the world's leading contract chipmaker, has unveiled its 1.4nm A14 process at its North America Technology Symposium. The company has confirmed that the process is on track to enter production in 2028 and that the yield performance is ahead of schedule.

Samsung Foundry has long harbored ambitions of closing the gap with TSMC which ended 2024 with a 67.1% share of the market. However, it appears that TSMC will once again establish technical superiority over Samsung and make it that much harder for its Korean rival to catch up.

Samsung had previously said that it intends to start manufacturing chips on the 1.4nm process by 2027. Recent reports have indicated that the company may have slowed progress on its next-generation nodes, including putting the 1.4nm on the back burner, in favor of improving its 3nm and 2nm processes.

The troubles it has had with the 3nm GAA process may have necessitated that. Samsung hasn't won any significant orders for chip designers and the vast majority of them have chosen to go with TSMC for their 3nm chip manufacturing. The challenges have compounded for the company as the lack of orders is causing the foundry to burn some serious cash.

Meanwhile, TSMC has said that its 1.4nm A14 process will deliver up to 15% performance improvement at the same power or up to a 30% power reduction at the same speed. The logic density has also been increased by 20% compared to its 2nm process that will enter mass production later this year.

Bringing this process technology online and stabilizing yields earlier than Samsung would mean that TSMC would once again run away with the orders from companies like Apple, AMD, Intel, and others who need to get their 1.4nm chips made.

Samsung's focus remains on increasing yields on the 2nm process that are now reportedly at 30%, which while commendable, are still behind TSMC's reported test yields of 60% for its 2nm process.