Samsung Foundry has reportedly decided to rebrand its 2nd generation 3nm-class fabrication technology, known as SF3, to a 2nm-class manufacturing process called SF2, thus requiring a contract to be rewritten. ZDNet notes that the renaming move could be a way for Samsung to simplify process nomenclature and attempt to better compete against Intel Foundry, at least visually. Intel is set to roll out its Intel 20A production node, which is also a 2nm-class technology, later this year.
In response to the story, Samsung issued a statement stating that since the information about the reported renaming of the SF3 manufacturing technology to the SF2 fabrication process did not come from Samsung, it cannot comment on the matter. Meanwhile, Samsung said that it is going to make some foundry-related announcements in due course.
Samsung's process technology roadmap up through 2027 was unveiled in the fall of 2022 and listed a number of nodes, including SF3E, SF4P, SF3, SF4X, SF2, SF3P, SF2P, and SF1.4. Apparently, since early 2024, Samsung has notified its customers about changes in its roadmap and the renaming of SF3 to SF2. The company reportedly went as far as re-sign contracts with customers who intended to use the SF3 production node.
"We were informed by Samsung Electronics that the 2nd generation 3nm [name] is being changed to 2nm," a source told ZDNet. "We had contracted Samsung Foundry for the 2nd generation 3nm production last year, but we recently revised the contract to change the name to 2nm."
Samsung intends to start making chips based on what is now called SF2 in the second half of 2024. Given that a customer reportedly had to rewrite a contract that reportedly only renamed process technology, it would appear that Samsung's SF3 has indeed been renamed to SF2 without any changes — it would be impossible to use a different process technology to make a chip designed for SF3 without reworking the design.
While this information is currently unofficial and doesn't come directly from Samsung, it corroborates a rumor that emerged earlier this year that Samsung was set to make an AI processor for a Japanese startup using its 2nm-class process technology in 2025.
Samsung's SF3 technology uses gate-all-around (GAA) transistors that Samsung brands as Multi-Bridge-Channel Field Effect Transistors (MBCFET). SF3 (now SF2) does not feature a backside power delivery network (BSPDN), a major disadvantage compared to Intel's 20A process technology that introduces both GAA transistors and a backside power delivery network for higher performance and energy efficiency.
Samsung Foundry has reportedly communicated this change to its customers and partners since the start of 2023, following discussions that began in late 2022. If the process formerly known as SF3 is now being renamed to SF2, we suspect further name changes will cascade down Samsung's roadmap and that the former SF2 node will get a new name as well.
Update 3/6/2024: Added Samsung statement.
