Samsung’s upgraded Xi’an chip plant in China to begin production in 2020

Samsung is going to start mass-producing memory chips at its upgraded Xi’an plant in China beginning 2020, according to XinhuaNet citing Samsung China Semiconductor. Reportedly, the first round of investment for the second phase of expansion should conclude next March, after which mass production can begin.Samsung is expected to then complete the second round of investment for the second phase of expansion in the second half of 2021, but by then, its memory chip production capacity should have already increased.Samsung’s Xi’an memory chip plant first began operations in 2014. The company decided to expand the facility to phase two back in 2017 when it signed an agreement with the Shaanxi provincial government.2017 was the year in which Samsung Electronics dethroned Intel and take the top spot in the semiconductor business for itself. The company didn’t rest on its laurels and decided to push things further by increasing its memory chip production capacity to maintain its lead.The gap between Intel and Samsung seems to have narrowed down in the past couple of years, but Samsung hasn’t skipped a beat and keeps making investments and improving its production lines. While it’s still threatened by Intel, the company already cooked up a decade-long plan for memory chip investment and development.