In comparison, Samsung’s yield rate is said to be abysmal, standing at 10 percent for chip wafers
With TSMC officially hosting an announcement ceremony, unveiling its Fab 18 facility that will mass produce 3nm chips, a report published by Business Next states that according to experts specializing in semiconductors study, the current 3nm yield rate is estimated to be about 60-70 percent, and in some case, even more than 70 percent. An unnamed industry analyst is under the impression that TSMC’s current 3nm yield rate is between 75-80 percent, which is impressive. This statistic alone suggests that both Apple and Qualcomm may not face shipment problems for its A17 Bionic and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, respectively, both of which will reportedly be designed in the next-generation manufacturing process. As for Samsung, the Korean manufacturer may have been the first to announce its 3nm GAA process, but we previously reported that the company is experiencing a horrendous yield rate, standing at only 20 percent. Samsung was earlier reported to have witnessed improvements by partnering with U.S. company Silicon Frontline Technology, but unless it does not become a competitive alternative to TSMC’s high yield rate, it is likely that the majority of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 orders will be fulfilled by the Taiwanese manufacturer. People close to Samsung’s plans believed that the company’s wafer yield was only 10 percent. Given the added cost and complexities that come with churning out wafers at this manufacturing process, Qualcomm may have to pay more per wafer, which only means it will start charging its smartphone partners a premium. In that case, expect the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to be slightly pricier compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which may raise the price of 2024 Android flagships. News Source: Bnext
