[News] Samsung Pushes for 2nm Breakthrough as Industry Bets on TSMC’s 3nm FinFET

Market speculation is mounting that Samsung is aggressively shifting resources toward 2nm development, with plans to debut the next-generation process as early as next year at its Texas fab—potentially aiming to leapfrog TSMC. However, citing sources within the semiconductor industry, Commercial Times reports that Samsung’s current 3nm GAAFET technology is roughly on par with competitors’ 4nm FinFET nodes, raising concerns that its upcoming 2nm process may still fall short of TSMC’s most powerful 3nm FinFET generation.

TSMC, meanwhile, continues to expand its 3nm process family with variants such as N3X, N3C, and N3A, tailored for different applications. These nodes are expected to remain the preferred choice among major clients, the report notes.

According to the same report, nearly all flagship smartphone SoCs currently rely on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process (N3E), with Samsung’s Exynos 2500 being the lone exception, built on its in-house 3nm GAAFET technology.

Industry sources cited in the report indicate that most chipmakers are preparing to migrate to the third-generation 3nm node (N3P) this year. TSMC has reportedly entered mass production of N3P since late last year, with total capacity expected to grow over 60% in 2025.

Citing IC design firms, Commercial Times reports that TSMC continues to deliver superior overall chip performance. For example, the Dimensity 9400, which uses the same Arm Cortex-X925 ultra-large core design, reaches a clock speed of 3.62GHz. This outperforms Samsung’s Exynos 2500 at 3.3GHz and was released approximately three quarters earlier.

To address rising customer demand for U.S.-based production, sources say TSMC’s second Arizona fab has entered an accelerated phase, with equipment move-in scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.

(Photo credit: TSMC)