Samsung beats TSMC to be the first company to produce 3nm computer chips
The smaller the transistors the more powerful and efficient the computing system, but as transistors get smaller making these chips is getting expensive and harder to do.
Key takeaways
- How small is the smallest transistor in the world? Yep, that’s right it’s 0nm.
- Samsung says the new fabrication process is 45 percent more power efficient than its previous 5nm process, has 23 percent higher performance, and 16 percent smaller surface area.
- The company’s forthcoming chip plant in Texas, which early reports said could eventually have the capability to produce 3nm chips, is not scheduled to start mass manufacturing until 2024.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2022) 'Samsung beats TSMC to be the first company to produce 3nm computer chips', 311 Institute, 15 July. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/samsung-beats-tsmc-to-be-the-first-company-to-produce-3nm-computer-chips/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
How small is the smallest transistor in the world? Yep, that’s right it’s 0nm. It literally has zero size, but that’s a whole other story so check it out - and it’s also still in the lab. And the smallest computer is the size of a virus - yep, the future's nuts. When it comes to commercialising some of the latest computer chip designs though we’re now getting closer to seeing computers with that 0nm transistor after Samsung announced they’ve started producing 3nm chips, beating rival chip manufacturer TSMC to the more power efficient fabrication process, Bloomberg reports, even though TSMC recently announced they'll soon be moving to 2nm. TSMC’s 3nm process isn’t expected to go into mass production until the second half of 2022.
Samsung says the new fabrication process is 45 percent more power efficient than its previous 5nm process, has 23 percent higher performance, and 16 percent smaller surface area. In the future, it hopes its second generation 3nm process can reduce power consumption and size by 50 percent and 35 percent respectively, and increase performance by 30 percent.
The announcement is a key milestone in Samsung’s efforts to compete with TSMC, which dominates the market for contract chip production and is the manufacturer of Apple’s chips for its iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and Macs. But Bloomberg reports that Samsung is unlikely to be able to make inroads against TSMC’s market share until it can prove the cost-efficiency of its new 3nm process is competitive with the market leader.
Samsung says the chips will initially be produced for “high performance, low power computing” applications, but that it plans for them to eventually make their way to mobile. The chips will be manufactured in South Korea for now, initially at its Hwaseong facilities before expanding to Pyeongtaek, Bloomberg notes. The company’s forthcoming chip plant in Texas, which early reports said could eventually have the capability to produce 3nm chips, is not scheduled to start mass manufacturing until 2024.
The location of chip manufacturing has come under a huge amount of scrutiny as a result of the recent global chip shortage, with the US, Europe, and China vying to have manufacturers produce more chips domestically.
What this means for your organisation
Efficiency gains continue.
Each new process brings better power use and performance. Devices and data centres benefit. Plan hardware refresh cycles around these gains.
Competition helps buyers.
A credible rival to the market leader gives chip buyers more choice. Supply concentration has been a major risk. Consider dual sourcing for critical chips.
Location matters more.
The chip shortage put the spotlight on where chips are made. Nations are competing to host production. Factor geography into supply chain risk.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- How dependent are we on a single chip foundry?
- Where are the chips in our products made?
- How would new chip efficiency change our product plans?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
The smaller the transistors the more powerful and efficient the computing system, but as transistors get smaller making these chips is getting expensive and harder to do.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 15 July 2022. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2022). Samsung beats TSMC to be the first company to produce 3nm computer chips. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/samsung-beats-tsmc-to-be-the-first-company-to-produce-3nm-computer-chips/
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