The economic downturn brought on by the 2020 pandemic was
partially offset by growth in the remote digital solutions sector and sharp
increases in online work, education and shopping. These online systems have
played a major role in the reopening of basic social, educational, health care
and economic activities in many countries despite the pandemic, along with
significant government expenditures.
As a result, the PC market, which has been stagnant for the
past decade, has seen double-digit growth in 2020. Currently, 5G smartphone
adoption is growing at a faster rate than 4G, and nearly half of new devices
sold are expected to be 5G-capable.
With the growing demand for faster technology platforms,
technology companies need the ability to develop custom semiconductor chip
solutions. For foundry suppliers, typical process technology and wafer
fabrication services are no longer adequate to meet the complex chip design
requirements of their customers.
It is necessary to provide the best end-to-end solution with
regards to optimal power, performance, area expansion, cost and speed to market
(PPACT), and foundry providers are required to take advantage of each
functional core of complex chip designs. There are several ways to provide
heterogeneous integration solutions.
To meet these new market demands, Samsung Foundry has
focused on three services: Virtual R&D, Customization, and Platform
Solutions.
Virtual R&D recognizes that semiconductor process
innovation is not limited to the imagination. An even better innovation would
be a collaborative development model between the foundry industry and its
customers. Virtual R&D process allows us to work with our clients to
co-define and co-develop practical technical designs from an early stage. A
common insight into how processes and products interact will allow customers to
design chips in anticipation of faster time to market.
Customization allows customers to work with us in the later
stages of process development, integrating an optimal set of process and design
knobs, and benefit from leveraging advanced components. It is not limited to
Foundation IP, design methodologies, packaging and heterogeneous integration,
but various function combinations and PPA design points are provided.
In addition to competitive process technology and IP,
Samsung has discovered core technology solutions that are essential platform
solutions related to customers' next-generation High Performance Computing, AI,
mobile, IoT and automotive applications.
These three services will broaden our vision of our customer
and foundry relationships. Supporting this service is a key technological
innovation at Samsung Foundry to give our customers a competitive edge in this
exciting new era. These include:
• New transistor structures, including Multi-Bridge Channel
Field Effect Transistor (MBCFET™) for high-performance, low-power computing, AI
and 5G platforms
• EUV lithography mass production
• 8nm RF for small, power-efficient mmWave 5G mobile devices
• Advanced 2.5 / 3D packaging technology
Given the diverse needs of our customers, along with our
global challenges, the foundry industry will need to evolve to provide its
customers with greater flexibility in their technology definition, process and
design choices. Samsung has developed these capabilities and is ready to meet
all of the challenges associated with designing next-generation chips from
customers.
* Editor's Note: This article is a summary of President Choi Si-young's general meeting presentation 'Challenges in the Pandemic Era.
Choi Si-young
President of Samsung Electronics Foundry Division
No comments:
Post a Comment