Samsung Foundry Revitalizes Silicon Carbide Power Semiconductor Ambitions Using Existing Facilities to Target Mass Production and Global Market Leadership by 2028
Samsung Electronics has resumed its strategic development of Silicon Carbide foundry operations according to ETNews report. The South Korean technology giant is working with both domestic and international partners to create an effective supply chain system that will support production of advanced power semiconductors. The company has decided to resume work on this initiative which had been in its research development stage while it concentrated its efforts on memory operations. The revised roadmap shows that the company plans to start mass production of Silicon Carbide components at full capacity in 2028.
The industry now uses Silicon Carbide as its standard solution for working in environments which require both high voltage and high temperature operation. The advanced compound semiconductors create better thermal durability than traditional silicon chips while providing increased energy efficiency. These features have become essential because the worldwide economy is now moving toward building electric vehicle charging stations and constructing large artificial intelligence data centers. Samsung aims to produce high performance power modules for automotive and energy applications by mastering this material.
The strategy requires all foundry operations to continue using the 8 inch production lines which now exist in the company. The worldwide market currently demands fewer 8 inch silicon wafers which are older technology compared to the newer 12 inch silicon wafers. The production process of Silicon Carbide currently operates most efficiently at 8 inch manufacturing capacity which makes older production lines suitable for industrial conversion. Samsung can boost factory output by using existing facilities instead of needing to build new factories which involve substantial capital costs. Existing equipment will deliver higher profits when it uses minor upgrades to match the increasing demand which exceeds current supply.
The operation currently requires extensive collaboration between the team and both material suppliers and manufacturing equipment providers. Samsung has started discussions about buying the special equipment needed to work with carbon and silicon compounds according to reports. The company intends to build its pilot production line during the upcoming year if the timeline stays on track. The process will create prototype samples which will lead to full production starting in 2028.
Samsung now competes directly against established European and American companies which include STMicroelectronics and Infineon through its entry into this market. The company encounters competition from smaller foundries in South Korea which include DB HiTek while operating its domestic business. The enormous scale of Samsung enables the company to dominate the market because it can link power semiconductors with its entire hardware ecosystem which creates a strong advantage as the 2028 production target nears.
