Samsung reportedly struggling to improve yield of 5nm chips

Samsung Foundry is trying hard to catch up with TSMC over the past few years. While its Taiwanese chipmaking rival has already started the mass production of 5nm A14 chips for Apple, the South Korean firm is reportedly still struggling to improve the yield of its 5nm process.According to a new report from DigiTimes, Samsung is facing the issue of low yields with its 5nm EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography process. A recent report had claimed that the company has bagged orders from Qualcomm for the mass production of the Snapdragon 875G and the Snapdragon 735G chipsets. The unsatisfactory yield may end up affecting the launch of Qualcomm’s upcoming processors, which are expected to be released next year.During Samsung’s Q1 2020 earnings call, the company had announced that it will start the mass production of 5nm chips by the end of Q2 2020. However, there has been no report if the company has managed to do so. There were several reports about the Galaxy Note 20 featuring the first 5nm Exynos processor, the Exynos 992, but it looks like the chipset has been canceled.Samsung had first announced the development of its 5nm process last year and started investing in production lines earlier this year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created hurdles in the company’s plans. Two months ago, the South Korean firm added a new 5nm foundry line in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, to accelerate production.