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[Leonidas]

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that its 5-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology is complete in its development and is now ready for customers' samples. By adding another cutting-edge node to its extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-based process offerings, Samsung is proving once again its leadership in the advanced foundry market.

Source

This happens just one year after they completed 7nm development.

We could see 5nm GPUs in 2020. Great to see process technology continuing to advance

 

[blu]

Only 1.25x density over 7nm? Not good. For comparison, TSMC 5nm is 1.8x.

 

[Leonidas]

Only 1.25x density over 7nm? Not good. For comparison, TSMC 5nm is 1.8x.

Not a fair comparison.

Whatever the case may be, 2020 will be interesting for sure.

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

Nvidia is a 'launch partner' for Samsung's 7nm so let's see how good that is first compared to AMD's 7nm TSMC Navi.

 

[SlashBringingHasher]

Sony should have joined the foundry market when it could like early 2000s.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Sony should have joined the foundry market when it could like early 2000s.

They did... then they had to back out as they did not have the infrastructure or the capacity to serve all those customers like UMC, GloFo, and TSMC do... plus they were making their own chips and competing against the people you would serve does not always breed trust.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Only 1.25x density over 7nm? Not good. For comparison, TSMC 5nm is 1.8x.

It would be nice to see a comparison with the 7nm, 7nm+, and 5nm (last two are with EUV). Getting those ramped up and producing efficiently must be a monumental effort...

 

[Shin]

Only 1.25x density over 7nm? Not good. For comparison, TSMC 5nm is 1.8x.

Just yesterday I was reading that they'll lose their market leader position in the semi conductor business to Intel.
In the bigger picture things aren't going well for them in a lot of sectors.

 

[Leonidas]

Nvidia is a 'launch partner' for Samsung's 7nm

That's a rumor. Nvidia could use TSMC 7nm as well.

 

[blu]

It would be nice to see a comparison with the 7nm, 7nm+, and 5nm (last two are with EUV). Getting those ramped up and producing efficiently must be a monumental effort...

Here's TSMC density progression:
7-to-7+: 1.2x
7+-to-5: 1.5x
7-to-5: 1.8x

Samsung:
7-to-5: 1.25x

 

[Panajev2001a]

Here's TSMC density progression:
7-to-7+: 1.2x
7+-to-5: 1.5x
7-to-5: 1.8x

Samsung:
7-to-5: 1.25x

Ouch... power consumption any better?

 

[Ian Henry]

Man.....why can't Samsung make their own console. They got the hardware to do it.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I hate how this has become a marketing ploy.

Is Intel the only company using nanometers to actually measure its transistor size?

 

[blu]

I hate how this has become a marketing ploy.

Is Intel the only company using nanometers to actually measure its transistor size?

The name of the process used to indicate the gate length or half-pitch, but that ended long ago, incl for intel. Read this https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/14_nm_lithography_process

 

[blu]

Ouch... power consumption any better?

Should be inferrable from the same chart, give me a sec..

TSMC power consumption progression:
7-to-7+: 0.9x
7+-to-5: 0.89x
7-to-5: 0.8x

Samsung:
7-to-5: 0.8x

Clearly much more in line with a proper full node transition.

 

[ethomaz]

Sounds like 16nm, 14nm, 12nm, etc.

Same process enhanced with new name lol

 

[Panajev2001a]

Should be inferrable from the same chart, give me a sec..

TSMC power consumption progression:
7-to-7+: 0.9x
7+-to-5: 0.89x
7-to-5: 0.8x

Samsung:
7-to-5: 0.8x

Clearly much more in line with a proper full node transition.

Indeed, it unless Samsung figures out a way to drive the predicted EUV and 5nm development costs down, I would choose TSMC as it does lead the pack in density and has the same power consumption reduction potential as Samsung’s one... on the other side of the coin Apple has taken a huge chunk of 7nm and 5nm orders from TSMC with scraps going to big bulk orders like the consoles’ APU’s coming next year (7nm, 5nm will be clearly Apple) and Samsung has itself as big client and maybe a bit more capacity as a foundry... interesting...

 

[UltimaKilo]

The name of the process used to indicate the gate length or half-pitch, but that ended long ago, incl for intel. Read this https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/14_nm_lithography_process

Thank you for this!