Samsung has signed an MOU with Broadcom to collaborate across memory and foundry technologies, drawing industry attention to the evolving competitive landscape in the foundry business. According to Wccftech, while TSMC remains the undisputed leader in the global semiconductor market, Samsung’s vertically integrated turnkey strategy could give it a competitive edge.
The report says the Samsung–Broadcom partnership will focus on the ASIC market, with Broadcom planning to use Samsung’s HBM4 memory in its AI accelerators. Samsung is also expected to ramp production of its next-generation HBM4E memory to strengthen the collaboration. By combining its 2nm process with 1c DRAM technology, Samsung can co-optimize chip design, power delivery, and thermal performance—a vertically integrated approach that, according to the report, could give it an advantage over TSMC. The report also says Samsung’s involvement is expected to shorten Broadcom’s chip design and development cycles.
Meanwhile, SEDaily notes that TSMC’s planned foundry price increases have created an opportunity for Samsung. TSMC reportedly informed major customers that it plans to raise foundry prices by up to 10% starting in 2027. As a result, the price of its 2nm process, currently about US$30,000 per wafer, is expected to exceed US$33,000. Against this backdrop, Samsung’s 2nm order pipeline is becoming increasingly visible, the report says. The company has secured production orders for Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chips and recently signed an MOU with Anthropic covering the design, manufacturing, and packaging of 2nm-based AI chips.
Maeil Business Newspaper also notes that the Samsung–Broadcom partnership is increasingly being viewed as a potential alternative in the global advanced foundry supply chain. Industry observers cited by the report say, however, that its success will ultimately depend on customer qualification, 2nm yields, advanced packaging mass-production capabilities, and final customer orders.
TSMC is also accelerating its 2nm capacity expansion. According to Economic Daily News, demand for the company’s 2nm process remains strong, with mass production progressing rapidly across five fabs in Taiwan. Industry sources cited by the report say the Baoshan site reached a monthly capacity of 20,000 wafers in May 2026 and continues to ramp. Together with new capacity coming online in Kaohsiung, production capacity for TSMC’s 2nm family is expected to expand month by month.
The report adds that the 2nm family will expand to include N2P, offering further improvements in performance and power efficiency, with mass production scheduled for the second half of 2026.
At its North America Technology Symposium earlier this year, TSMC said it plans to ramp production at five 2nm fabs to meet strong AI demand, the report says. The company aims to increase first-year 2nm wafer output by 45% compared with the first year of its 3nm production in 2023 and targets a 70% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in 2nm capacity between 2026 and 2028.
The report also says 2nm accounted for 3% of TSMC’s second-quarter wafer revenue, while 3nm, 5nm, and 7nm contributed 30%, 33%, and 11%, respectively. Advanced process technologies, defined as 7nm and below, accounted for 77% of total wafer revenue during the quarter.
