Samsung Electronics mass produces new 14-nano chips

By Lee Min-hyung

Samsung Electronics said Thursday that it has started to mass produce its new system on chips (SOC) using 14-nanometer-fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) technology, which improves productivity in power consumption and processing ability.

The SOC refers to a converged chip that integrates all functions of a computer or electronic systems into a single chip. This is commonly used in mobile devices due to its low power consumption.

The company said it has mass produced its Exynos 8 Octa and Qualcomm’s Snap Dragon 820 mobile application processor with the technology in what the company believes is a move to solidify its leadership in the FinFET-based chip-making technology. Samsung started producing the Exynos application processor in 2010 for its Galaxy smartphone series.

“The latest FinFET-embedded SOC has reduced power loss significantly, compared to the chip it is replacing,” said a Samsung Electronics official. “The new chips are expected to be widely used for more mobile devices with its improved processing ability.”

Expectations are that the new FinFET chip will be used for the company’s upcoming flagship smartphone, tentatively named Galaxy S7, but the electronics giant declined to comment on the issue.

The three-dimensional (3D), 14-nano FinFET technology is seen as a breakthrough in the chip industry, overcoming structural shortcomings from planar-based technology used for 20-nano level chips. The FinFET allows devices to perform improved processing speed with lower power consumption.

The move is expected to help the company gain a leading position over rivals, as the second-generation FinFET is seen as a key technology for so-called connected vehicles and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Samsung Electronics said. The latest technology is 15-percent more energy efficient than its predecessor, and can generate 15-percent better performance, it added.

The chipmaker believes the technology is expected to be more widely adopted amid surging demands for chips for vehicles and network systems in an era of the IoT.

“The 14-nano FinFET technology will help the company make the industry’s best chip-making solutions provider,” Bae Young-chang, vice president at the company’s system large-scale integration (LSI) division, said. “We will continue to develop other processors with the FinFET technology to lead the mobile chip-making industry and the global foundry market.”