Samsung Foundry's second-get 3 nm node supposedly afflicted by low yields
Samsung confirmed earlier its first-ever 3 nm smartphone SoC taped out on its second-get 3 nm process (SF3GAP). It is widely believed to be the next-gen Exynos 2500 which will power the Galaxy S25 series next year. However, it may be a while before it enters mass production as it still suffers from low yields, as stated by a report by Korean news outlet Dealsite (via @Revegnus1 on X).
In its current state, yields for Samsung's 3GAP node is at around 20%, meaning 8 out of 10 chips on a wafer are defective. This is far lower than the 50% figure highlighted by an earlier report from the same publication. Then again, it didn't specify if it was 3GAP or the original 3GAA. On the other hand, TSMC's N3B node seems to be better off with ~55% yields . Unfortunately, there's no word about how its successor, N3E, is faring.
Still, 20% is worryingly low and Samsung has a lot of work to do before it starts mass producing the Exynos 2500 and any other chip that uses SF3GAP. A report from Digitimes says Samsung will kick off high-volume production of the Exynos 2500 in the latter half of 2024. Ideally, this should result in more process refinement and better yields.
