Samsung’s 3nm Yields Are Reportedly Higher Than TSMC’s, With ‘Sluggish Semiconductor’ Market Allowing For Improved Testing

TSMC was already said to be struggling with its 3nm yields, but what is even more impressive is that its closest rival in the semiconductor race, Samsung, has managed to beat it in this category. The latest report states how the Korean giant increased its own 3nm yields, giving it a slight edge against its competitor, but that still does not mean that the company has achieved complete victory.

A report published on KMIB claims that Samsung currently has a 60 percent yield rate for its 3nm process, which is only slightly higher than TSMC’s 55 percent, out of which the majority of it is reserved for Apple. Samsung’s previous yield rate for its 3nm GAA process was said to be 70 percent, so comparing the latest figures, the company’s progress has actually slowed down a bit, but it could be due to the increased volume of wafers, though the report does not specify this.

Hi Investment & Securities also published a report stating that besides its impressive 3nm yields, Samsung has achieved a 75 percent yield rate for its 4nm process. However, TSMC has the upper hand here, as its 4nm yields stand at 80 percent. As to how Samclosedclose the gap on the next-generation node, the report states this was due to a ‘sluggish semiconductor industry,’ giving the firm ample time to test wafer input and increase the yields accordingly.

On paper, this might appear as a massive win for Samsung, but TSMC still holds the majority of the market share. In fact, the Taiwanese behemoth is said to supply 90 percent of its entire 3nm wafer supply to Apple, resulting in a hefty payday for the semiconductor giant. Also, TSMC’s 3nm wafer output will reportedly reach up to 100,000 monthly units by the end of 2023, as it expects high demand for the iPhone 15 series, meaning those yield figures can improve substantially by the fourth quarter of this year.

In comparison, the report does not mention any lucrative customers that Samsung has reeled in, despite having better 3nm yields than TSMC, so despite this success, the Korean manufacturer has a mountain to climb if it wants to get the better of its rival. According to our earlier report, Samsung’s first 3nm GAA batch was supplied to cryptomining hardware makers and not smartphone chipset companies, so the first order of business would be to instill confidence in those clients and slowly take away market share from TSMC.

News Source: KMIB