Samsung Electronics has installed two High-NA extreme ultraviolet lithography systems for its foundry business, but it is not yet putting the tools into mass-production lines. The decision reflects a cautious capital allocation stance rather than a clear technology bottleneck. According to the report, Samsung’s foundry unit is seen as one of the businesses most likely to return to profit as early as the fourth quarter this year after years of losses. Bringing expensive equipment fully online now would lift depreciation and operating costs, increasing fixed expenses at a sensitive point in the unit’s earnings recovery.
At the same time, Samsung’s reported 2 nm yield has reached about 55%, close to the roughly 60% threshold that the industry commonly views as sufficient for stable mass production. That suggests the company’s hesitation is not mainly about process readiness for High NA EUV. Korean media said Samsung is keeping equipment spending to a minimum until the foundry business has a clearer path to sustainable profitability. The move shows a practical balance in the advanced-node race: the company has the technology and tools in place, but financial discipline is being treated as more urgent than accelerating the catch-up pace.
Samsung Electronics has installed two High-NA EUV lithography systems for its foundry business, but it is not deploying them to mass-production lines for now.
The report said Samsung is taking a cautious approach because the foundry unit is seen as one of the businesses most likely to return to profit as early as the fourth quarter of this year. After years of losses, a rushed, full-scale activation of such expensive tools would materially increase fixed costs, including depreciation and operating expenses.
In that context, with a profit inflection point potentially close, accelerating capital spending could end up delaying that milestone instead.
At the same time, Samsung’s 2 nm process yield has reportedly reached about 55%, close to the roughly 60% level that the industry commonly regards as enough for stable mass production. That indicates the issue is not that process maturity is still too weak to support High-NA EUV.
Korean media said Samsung is maintaining a conservative capital allocation strategy and keeping equipment spending to a minimum until the foundry business has a clearer path to sustainable profitability.
The decision points to a practical trade-off in the race for advanced process technology: Samsung appears to have the technical and equipment capability in place, but for now it is putting financial performance ahead of speeding up its competitive catch-up.
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