Korean Experts Launch 15-Year Semiconductor Advancement Road Map
A brand new, far-reaching forecast by South Korea's microelectronics specialists outlines a crucial leap in semiconductor technology in the coming 15 years: The "Semiconductor Technology Roadmap 2026", published by the Korean Society of Semiconductor Engineers, describes the industry's anticipated evolution, including the development of chips based on 0.2-nanometer processes.
Technological Projections through 2040
In the roadmap, detailed technical forecasts are provided to each sector of microelectronics, carrying its projections from nanometer (nm) technology into angstrom (Å) technologies.
- Logic Chips: From 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process in current chips such as Exynos 2600, the industry is expected to move to 0.2nm process utilizing next generation CFET transistors in a monolithic 3D structure.
- DRAM: Technology processes for DRAM are expected to shrink from 11nm to 6nm.
- NAND Flash Memory: The number of memory layers is estimated to increase by a larger margin going from 321 layers today straight to 2000 layers.
- High Bandwidth Memory(HBM): HBM is expected to progress from 12-layer stacks to 30 layers with bandwidth extending from 2 TB/s to 128 TB/s.
- AI Processors: A great leap in performance is envisaged, with capabilities for AI chips going from the present 10 TOPS to 1000 TOPS.
Purpose and Scope of the Roadmap
These documents will serve to boost the long-term competitiveness of the semiconductor industry, motivate academic research, and guide the formulation of human resources development strategies. It delineates the direction for nine key technologies including AI semiconductors, packaging, and quantum computing.
The Korean Society of Semiconductor Engineers intends to update and augment this roadmap each year in order to keep up with the fast-moving semiconductor industry. The full roadmap can be accessed from the society's official website.
