AMD could use Samsung’s 2nm process as it looks beyond TSMC

TSMC’s dominance in advanced chip manufacturing has been good for consistency, but it also comes with downsides. When one company controls most of the cutting-edge process nodes, chipmakers have fewer options, and that usually means higher prices. 

TSMC has also revealed its plans to raise foundry prices over the next three years, which puts even more pressure on companies that rely on it.

So it’s not surprising that brands are looking elsewhere, and Samsung seems to be a safe bet for many. The company recently signed massive deals with Apple and Tesla, and a new report suggests AMD could be its next client.

AMD could use Samsung’s 2nm fabrication

According to reports from South Korea, AMD might use Samsung’s 2nm process for some future chips. In fact, Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong is expected to meet AMD CEO Lisa Su to discuss the partnership.

This isn’t entirely out of the blue. Su has hinted before that AMD wants more manufacturing options, but Samsung’s past issues related to yields made it a hard sell. For a long time, Samsung’s leading-edge nodes didn’t inspire enough confidence for large, high-value orders.

That seems to be changing at 2nm. Samsung’s manufacturing process is now more stable, with its first 2nm chip receiving a positive response in terms of yield and performance, at least so far.

More importantly, AMD isn’t expected to jump in at the very start. Instead, the company is said to be targeting Samsung’s second-generation 2nm node, known as SF2P. 

This is the higher-performance version of the process and comes with noticeable improvements. Samsung claims SF2P delivers better performance, significantly lower power consumption, and a smaller chip footprint compared to its first 2nm offering.

Mass production of SF2P is expected to begin in 2026, followed by an improved SF2P+ version in 2027. If talks go well, AMD and Samsung could finalize a deal as soon as next month. For Samsung, AMD would become another high-profile customer for its 2nm line after Tesla.

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