Samsung says it is manufacturing 3nm chips in global first

South Korean tech company seizes lead over TSMC in advanced semiconductor race

20220630 Samsung foundry's first 3nm chip production

Samsung Electronics' executives display wafers, or slices of semiconductor material on which circuit patterns are carved, for 3-nanometer chips. The company says it has reached a production milestone. (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)

KIM JAEWON, Nikkei staff writer

June 30, 2022 11:00 JST

Updated on June 30, 2022 16:12 JST

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics said on Thursday that it has started mass producing 3-nm chips at its semiconductor plant in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, becoming the first to reach the milestone.

The latest advance in a relentless race to cut the size and increase the power of semiconductors gives Samsung an edge over its archrival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for now, though competition is only set to intensify.