Samsung Foundry has announced details of its upcoming SF4X process technology, which targets high-performance computing (HPC) applications such as CPUs and GPUs in data centers. 2023 Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits. Formerly known as 4HPC (4nm class, High Performance Computing), the new manufacturing technology not only enables higher clocks and efficiencies, but also supports increased voltages for those who need maximum performance. To do.
Samsung’s new SF4X promises a 10% performance boost while achieving 23% less power consumption. Samsung hasn’t provided a concrete reference point for these comparisons, but it’s possible the chipmaker is comparing his SF4X to the standard his SF4 (4LPP). Performance improvements and power savings are driven by comprehensive reevaluation and redesign of transistor sources and drains under high stress conditions, further co-optimization of transistor-level design technologies, and mid-line (MOL) redesign. The result. circuit.
Thanks to this new MOL, the SF4X has a verified CPU minimum voltage (Vmin) of 60mV, a 10% reduction in off-state current variation, guaranteed high voltage (Vdd) operation above 1V without performance degradation, and an enhanced Boasts SRAM process. margin.
SF4X is set to compete with TSMC’s N4P and N4X nodes, which are scheduled for release in 2024 and 2025 respectively. At this time, it is impossible to determine which technology offers the best combination of performance, power, transistor density, efficiency and cost based solely on foundry claims.
HPC applications such as CPUs and GPUs in data centers are power intensive and designed to handle heavy loads on a regular basis and burst frequencies when demand for higher performance increases. Therefore, more advanced manufacturing processes like SF4X can greatly improve the performance and efficiency of CPUs and GPUs. In addition to pure performance, power efficiency is also a key concern for these applications. SF4X consumes 23% less power than its predecessor, leading to significant cost savings and reduced environmental impact in the long run.
It is worth noting that SF4X is Samsung’s first state-of-the-art node developed specifically for HPC applications. This indicates that Samsung expects enough market demand to justify its efforts. Bearing in mind that HPC is an industry megatrend, along with 5G and AI, Samsung Foundry has good reason to expect this technology to be adopted by at least some of his 150+ Samsung customers. there is.
In fact, HPC-oriented nodes are in high demand from both established market leaders such as AMD, IBM, Intel, and Nvidia, as well as new entrants such as Ampere and Graphcore.
