Samsung’s new EUV-equipped processor line begins mass production in South Korea

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest memory chipmaker, has said its new semiconductor fabrication line in South Korea using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology has begun mass production.

The South Korean tech giant said the EUV-equipped facility, named V1, in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, can produce chips using a process node of 7 nanometers (nm) and that its first products will be delivered to customers in the first quarter.

Samsung broke ground for the facility in February 2018 and began to test wafer production in the second half of 2019, Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.

"Last year, here at this site, we began our vision of becoming the world's No. 1 system chipmaker," Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong said after visiting the production line. "We need to continue our efforts to make these chips represent our dream of contributing to human society."

Also read: Samsung to make 5-nanometer smartphone modem chip for Qualcomm

Samsung last year announced it will invest 133 trillion won ($111 billion) by 2030 to expand its non-memory and foundry businesses.

The V1 line is currently producing mobile chips with 7 and 6nm process technology, according to Samsung. The facility will adopt finer circuitry up to a 3-nm process node in the future, it said.

Samsung said the cumulative investment in the V1 line will reach $6 billion by the end of this year.

"The adoption of EUV lithography technology has become increasingly important, as it enables scaling down of complex patterns on wafers and provides an optimal choice for next-generation applications such as 5G, AI and automotive," Samsung said in a release. "Together with the S3 line, the V1 line is expected to play a pivotal role in responding to fast-growing global market demand for single-digit node foundry technologies."

Samsung now has a total of six foundry production lines in South Korea and the US.