Korean tech giant Samsung is planning to launch 2nm (nanometre) chipsets by 2025 as chipmakers like Intel and TSMC race to be the first to market with the new and smaller chip node.
In a presentation at its annual Samsung Foundry Forum day, the company revealed its plans for 3nm and 2nm chipsets, expected to be unveiled in 2022 and 2025, respectively. Samsung has already unveiled its 3nm prototype back in 2019, so a 2022 launch seems very likely.
On the other hand, the 2nm chipsets are still 4 years away from launch. Samsung expects that it will take another 3-6 months for these chipsets to go into mass production, which means that the first smartphones powered by these chipsets will likely launch in 2026.
This doesn’t mean that Samsung will continue to use 5nm until 3nm chipsets arrive – the company is expected to manufacture the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 chipset on its 4nm fabrication process. This chipset is likely going to power Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S22 flagship in some markets, while the next-gen Galaxy Z Fold and Flip could use this much more widely.
Size matters – why chipset sizes are important
Chipsets are at the heart of every modern electronic device, made up of billions of transistors that are used to switch or amplify electronic signals. These transistors need an energy source to perform their functions. The tighter and smaller these transistors are integrated, the lesser power they consume, resulting in power efficiencies.
In addition to this, a smaller die size (chipset) means that the distance between two transistors is reduced further, so the amount of time it takes to toggle a transistor and send a signal from one transistor to another. This results in performance improvements, which is something that chipset makers and smartphone companies usually highlight when launching a device with a new chipset.
Currently, most 2021 flagship smartphones like the iPhone 13, the Galaxy S21 and others use 5nm chipsets. The next wave of flagships will see 4nm chipsets being used, and subsequently, 3nm by 2022-23 and 2nm and 2026.
