Is Samsung joining hands with Intel to catch up to TSMC for semiconductor chips?

Jenith

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Samsung and Intel have recently been in all sorts of trouble. While Samsung is struggling to catch up to TSMC in manufacturing semiconductor chips with good enough yield, Intel is facing stiff competition from AMD and Nvidia in the AI server space. Now, it appears that both firms could work together to make better chips.

Samsung interested in using Intel's chip packaging technologies​


A report from BusinessPost claims Samsung is considering using Intel's semiconductor glass substrate technology for its future chip manufacturing processes. Samsung Electronics chairman Jay Y. Lee is visiting the US as part of South Korea's economic delegation for the business summit between the two countries, and he is apparently exploring a strategic alliance with Intel to strengthen the company's chip manufacturing.

There are two parts of semiconductor chip manufacturing: front-end and back-end. Front-end involves making circuits on wafers, while back-end involves packaging chips and testing them. Samsung is among the best in the world in front-end chip manufacturing technologies, while Intel is considered to be ahead in back-end processes.

Samsung currently fabricates chips and sends them to back-end packaging specialist firms for packaging and testing. TSMC, Samsung's primary rival, also uses Taiwanese back-end specialist firms and uses the most advanced back-end packaging technology called Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (COWOS).

Since Intel is an expert in back-end processes, Samsung is considering collaborating with it. After investing $37 billion in setting up an advanced chip manufacturing plant in Taylor, Texas, in the USA, it is expected to strengthen its post-processing technologies by cooperating with Intel. This could help it compete with TSMC in a better way.

Intel's foundry division is said to be applying hybrid bonding technology for its 18A (2nm class) chip fabrication process. It stacks chips using copper rather than using bumps between chips. This technology is alerady used by TSMC in making CPUs and image sensors. Samsun is said to be exploring an alliance with Intel for packaging and glass substrate technologies to catch up with TSMC.

Glass substrates are getting attention due to their smoother surface, lower coefficient of thermal expansion, reduced thickness, and higher thermal density compared to plastic substrates. Due to its nature, it could be a great fit for AI semiconductor chips. Intel developed this technology over a course of decades and is now opening it up via a licensing model to generate more revenue. Samsung could use this model to improve its chip manufacturing.

The two firms could create a joint venture or equity investments to jointly invest capital and collaborate in developing technologies and human resources. Samsung Electro-Mechanics even hired Kang Du-an, who is a senior engineer with a lot of experience in researching glass substrates and worked as Intel's Vice President of Technology Marketing and Application Engineering. He will be Samsung Electro-Mechanics' technology analyst.

The post Is Samsung joining hands with Intel to catch up to TSMC for semiconductor chips? appeared first on imeisource.
 
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