Samsung to mass-produce healthcare device chips

By Kim Yoo-chul

A senior executive at Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that it plans to mass-produce chips to be used in various healthcare devices within the next three years.

“Samsung is in the process of developing chips to be used in wearable devices. We aim to mass-produce such chips in the next two or three years,” said E.S. Jung, executive vice president of the firm’s semiconductor research center.

He made the remarks in a keynote speech at the SEMICON Korea conference in the COEX Convention Center, southern Seoul.

He said memory chips will play critical role in the Internet of Things (IoT) as every single product from leading manufacturers will be connected.

Samsung Electronics has said that all its appliances will be connected by 2020.

“Samsung is looking toward wearable memory chips,” Jung said.

The company is betting on healthcare, and is collaborating with IBM, Microsoft and SAP to put their health platforms on Samsung devices. Jung said semiconductors are the basis of its healthcare products.

With regard to next-generation chips, the executive said; “With closer collaboration with major market players, Samsung is currently making a prototype of magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM) chips.”

MRAM is able to store memory in a denser manner.

He said Samsung Electronics has less interest in putting resources into developing resistive random access memory (ReRAM) and phase-change random access memory (PcRAM) chips as they aren't powerful to offer distinctive value to its customers.

ReRAM is known to store twice as much data and use less energy than flash memory, while PcRAM has advantages of storing high data volumes. PcRAM is a non-volatile memory chip using the property of chalcogenide glass to switch between both states and is touted to be able to store a lot of data.

The executive said as it’s getting tough to manufacture thinner chips, Samsung Electronics is teaming up with tool and material companies to pursue open innovation.

“The semiconductor industry has a huge influence on the world, while its technical requirements are getting more difficult. Device makers should collaborate with equipment and material makers to meet technical targets,” the executive said.

Samsung Electronics aims to leverage open innovation to maximize synergy, he said.

Despite technological barriers to migrate to much thinner chip technologies, Samsung plans to beyond the limits as the firm is on track to develop 7-nanometer chip technology by changing structures and using new materials, according to Jung.

“FinFET processing technology will be used in chips with 10-nanometer level. But we will change structures and use new materials to develop 7-nanometer. By 2020, Samsung aims to create chips with stunning 5-nanometer tech, which is challenging but achievable thanks to the enhancements of materials and equipment," he said.