Multiple informed sources have stated, "We have completed the personnel selection process and plan to deploy personnel in September and November. Many partners have announced equipment orders and are currently preparing,
Samsung Electronics has also appointed a new head of the Taylor OEM factory. Previously, the Taylor factory was managed by the Austin contract factory, but with the full operation of the Taylor factory, it seems that a new person has been appointed internally.
About a year ago, Samsung Electronics resumed its investment in the Taylor factory. Samsung has decided to invest in the Taylor factory in 2021 and begin construction. Samsung Electronics first built a factory to prepare for production, but withdrew its employees in September last year.
The global economic recession, deterioration of the semiconductor market, inflation, and US semiconductor subsidies have all contributed to this situation, but the decisive factor is the difficulty in obtaining OEM customers.
Samsung initially planned to build a 4-nanometer process at the Taylor factory, but reportedly changed the process after a failed collaboration with the customer.
After obtaining Tesla's order, the uncertainty was resolved. Samsung Electronics signed a contract worth 22.8 trillion Korean won (approximately 19.6 billion US dollars) with Tesla for contract manufacturing in July. The contract requires Samsung Electronics to produce Tesla designed artificial intelligence (AI) chips at the Taylor factory and provide an eight year supply. After acquiring customers, Samsung Electronics is preparing to resume operations at the Taylor factory.
The Taylor wafer fab currently consists of one building and is equipped with a clean room, which is crucial for semiconductor production. Samsung Electronics plans to build a 2-nanometer production line starting from the first phase (i.e. single cleanroom). It is expected that by the end of next year, the production capacity will reach 16000 to 17000 12 inch wafers per month. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, the investment in a 2-nanometer wafer manufacturing facility (WFE) capable of producing 10000 wafers per month is as high as $1.7 billion. It is expected that by the end of next year, Samsung Electronics will invest approximately $2.89 billion (approximately 4 trillion Korean won, calculated based on 17000 wafers). The dispatched personnel will
Used for installing equipment and optimizing processes. After the equipment installation is completed, test wafers will be used to stabilize the process. According to experts, the stability period of the 3-nanometer process is about 10 months, while the stability period of the 2-nanometer process will be about one month longer. The Taylor factory is expected to start mass production by the end of next year or early 2027. This means that Tesla's artificial intelligence semiconductors may begin mass production by the end of 2026 or 2027.
With the establishment of Taylor Foundry, Samsung Electronics is expected to accelerate its efforts to attract large technology companies into the United States. The company initially planned to build two wafer fabs, each equipped with two clean rooms, for a total of four clean rooms. These four clean rooms can produce 60000 to 70000 12 inch wafers of semiconductors per month. In order to expand the business of Taylor's OEM factory, the company is expected to strengthen its sales efforts targeting companies such as Nvidia, Apple, Qualcomm, and AMD.