Samsung Electronics has lifted the yield of its 2 nm process this year, but a foundry order from Qualcomm is still on hold because the two companies have not reached a pricing agreement. According to The Bell, in a report later carried by Investing.com, the two sides had been discussing Samsung’s production of a 2 nm application processor for Qualcomm. The talks are now stalled on pricing, making production within this year difficult.
2 nm yield rose from below 50% to above 70%
Businesskorea, citing a Sept. 11 report from KB Securities, said Samsung’s 2 nm gate-all-around, or GAA, process had a yield below 50% at the beginning of the year and has recently improved to above 70%. The yield on its 4 nm process was said to be stable at above 80%.
KB Securities said that once yields at advanced nodes stabilize, Samsung’s foundry division could return to profit starting in the third quarter of 2026. The report also said the improvement in 2 nm yields would not only affect the foundry business itself but also strengthen Samsung’s competitiveness in HBM base dies.
Qualcomm sought lower prices as Samsung held firm
The Bell said the latest delay came down to price. Qualcomm wanted a lower quote, while Samsung was unwilling to make concessions. A Samsung source said the delay made it difficult to produce Qualcomm processors within the year and that the two companies are already discussing the next-generation product.
The same source added that Samsung is no longer using the low-price bidding approach it used in the past after winning customers such as Tesla and Broadcom. ChainCatcher had previously reported that Samsung’s 2 nm capacity at its Taylor plant was fully booked before production began, with Tesla, Broadcom and Arm among the customers.
No major technical issue was cited for the 2 nm process
The report said the delay was not caused by a process problem. No major issue has emerged on the technical side of Samsung’s 2 nm node, and Qualcomm’s response to the process has been positive. Samsung’s own Exynos 2600, which uses 2 nm, and the upcoming Exynos 2700 were both described as receiving solid performance assessments.
KB Securities sees Samsung HBM share reaching 40% in Q4
On the memory side, KB Securities projected Samsung’s HBM market share to rise from 33% in the second quarter to around 40% in the fourth quarter. It also estimated that HBM4 revenue in the third quarter would increase by more than three times from the previous quarter, and that HBM4 could account for more than 60% of total HBM revenue in the second half.
Businesskorea reported that at 10:49 a.m. on Sept. 11, Samsung Electronics shares were trading at 257,750 won, down 11,250 won, or 4.18%, from the previous trading day.
HBM4 is in mass production, with roadmap extending to HBM5 and zHBM
Samsung is currently mass-producing HBM4 and supplying samples of its seventh-generation HBM4E. Its roadmap now extends to eighth-generation HBM5 and next-generation zHBM. HBM5 will use a 2 nm base die. ChainCatcher had previously reported that Samsung has allocated more than half of its 4 nm capacity to HBM4 base dies, with monthly output of about 15,000 wafers.
Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, said Samsung is the only company with one-stop supply capability across HBM, foundry and packaging. The report also forecast that the memory supply shortage will last at least through 2028. It said demand for five-year long-term supply agreements from companies including Google, Amazon, Baidu and Alibaba is likely to continue, while new production lines need more than three years from completion to full-scale mass production, which could extend the shortage.