Samsung has announced that it will be producing 11nm chips for their next generation high-end and mid-range phones. This 11-nanometer FinFET process technology is a Low Power Plus (LPP) process that is a scaled down version of the earlier 14nm LPP process used in Snapdragon 625 and 630.
Samsung has already used the 10nm FinFET process for its Exynos 9 series mobile processors. But, it has been used only in premium flagship smartphones. Now, the company expects the new 11nm process will bridge the gap between mid-range to high-end smartphones.
It is to be noted that the chip area will be reduced by 10% in comparison to the 14nm process. Which means the manufacturing cost of chips will fall and so it can be added into mid-range devices also. The new 11nm technology promises up to 15% boost in performance with the same power usage as the 14nm process. The first 11nm chipsets are to come out in the first half of 2018.
Moreover, the premium phones from Samsung next year will be using the new 7nm LPP chips that are built with Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) lithography.
“Samsung has added the 11nm process to our roadmap to offer advanced options for various applications. Through this, Samsung has completed a comprehensive process roadmap spanning from 14nm to 11nm, 10nm, 8nm, and 7nm in the next three years,” said Ryan Lee, Vice President and Head of Foundry Marketing at Samsung Electronics.
Another major mobile chipset maker Qualcomm is also working on its next flagship mobile processor, the Snapdragon 845 which will use the 7nm process. Interestingly, it was reported that Samsung had reserved the first batch of Snapdragon 845 chipsets for its next flagships Galaxy S9 and S9+.
Coming to the recently announced 11nm process by Samsung, it will probably be used in Samsung’s in-house Exynos processors. More details of the recent update about new technology will be revealed during Samsung’s next Foundry Forum scheduled on September 15, 2017, in Tokyo, Japan. Apart from, 11LPP chipset availability, the company will also elaborate the 7nm EUV development as well.
