Samsung Foundry Unveils Updated Roadmap: BSPDN and 2nm Evolution Through 2027
Samsung this week has unveiled its latest process technologies roadmap at the company's Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) U.S. The new plan covers the evolution of Samsung's 2nm-class production nodes through 2027, including a process technology with a backside power delivery, re-emphasizing plans to bring out a 1.4nm-class node in 2027, and the introduction of a 'high value' 4nm-class manufacturing tech.
Samsung Foundry's key announcements for today are clearly focused on the its 2nm-class process technologies, which are set to enter production in 2025 and will span to 2027, when the company's 1.4-nm class production node is set to enter the scene. Samsung is also adding (or rather, renaming) another 2nm-class node to their roadmap with SF2, which was previously disclosed by Samsung as SF3P and aimed at high-performance devices.
"We have refined and improved the SF3P, resulting in what we now refer to as SF2," a Samsung spokesperson told AnandTech. "This enhanced node incorporates various process design improvements, delivering notable power, performance, and area (PPA) benefits."
| Samsung Foundry for Leading-Edge Nodes Announced on June 12, 2024 Compiled by AnandTech |
||||||||
| HVM Start | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2027 | ||
| Process | SF3E | SF3 | SF2 (aka SF3P) |
SF2P/SF2X | SF2Z | SF1.4 | ||
| FET | GAAFET | |||||||
| Power Delivery | Frontside | Backside (BSPDN) | ? | |||||
| EUV | 0.33 NA EUV | ? | ? | ? | ? | |||
This is another example of a rebranding of leading-edge fabrication nodes in the recent years by a major chipmaker. Samsung Foundry is not disclosing any specific PPA improvements SF3P has over SF2, and for now is only stating in high-level terms that it will be a better-performing node than the planned SF3P.
Meanwhile, this week's announcement also includes new information on Samsung's next batch of process nodes, which are planned for 2026 and 2027. In 2026 Samsung will have SF2P, a further refinement of SF2 which incorporates 'faster' yet less dense transistors. That will be followed up in 2027 with SF2Z, which adds backside power delivery to the mix for better and higher quality power delivery. In particular, Samsung is targetting voltate drop (aka IR drop) here, which is an ongoing concern in chip design.
Finally, SF1.4, a 1.4nm-class node, is on track for 2027 as well. Interestingly, however, it looks like it does not feature a backside power delivery. Which, per current roadmaps, would have Samsung as the only foundry not using BSPDN for their first 1.4nm/14Å-class node.
"We have optimized BSPDN and incorporated it for the first time in the SF2Z node we announced today," the spokesperso... Semiconductors
Posted by The Techinical Support
NVIDIA's AD102 GPU Pops Up in MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Cards 
As GPU families enter the later part of their lifecycles, we often see chip manufacturers start to offload stockpiles of salvaged chips that, for one reason or another, didn't make the grade for the tier of cards they normally are used in. These recovered chips are fairly unremarkable overall, but they are unsold silicon that still works and has economic value, leading to them being used in lower-tier cards so that they can be sold. And, judging by the appearance of a new video card design from MSI, it looks like NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace generation of chips has reached that stage, as the Taiwanese video card maker has put out a new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super card based on a salvaged AD102 GPU.
Typically based on NVIDIA's AD103 GPU, NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super series sits a step below the company's flagship RTX 4080/4090 cards, both of which are based on the bigger and badder AD102 chip. But with some number of AD102 chips inevitably failing to live up to RTX 4080 specifications, rather than being thrown out, these chips can instead be used to make RTX 4070 cards. Which is exactly what MSI has done with their new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC graphics card.
The card itself is relatively unremarkable – using a binned AD102 chip doesn't come with any advantages, and it should perform just like regular AD103 cards – and for that reason, video card vendors rarely publicly note when they're doing a run of cards with a binned-down version of a bigger chip. However, these larger chips have a tell-tale PCB footprint that usually makes it obvious what's going on. Which, as first noticed by @wxnod, is exactly what's going on with MSI's card.
Ada Lovelace Lineup: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 TiS (AD103), RTX 4070 TiS (AD102), & RTX 4090 (AD102)
The tell, in this case, is the rear board shot provided by MSI. The larger AD102 GPU uses an equally larger mounting bracket, and is paired with a slightly more complex array of filtering capacitors on the back side of the board PCB. Ultimately, since these are visible in MSI's photos of their GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC, it's easy to compare it to other video cards and see that it has exactly the same capacitor layout as MSI's GeForce RTX 4090, thus confirming the use of an AD102 GPU.
Chip curiosities aside, all of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics cards – no matter whether they are based on the AD102 or AD103 GPU – come with a GPU with 8,448 active CUDA cores and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, so it doesn't (typically) matter which chip they carry. Otherwise, compared to a fully-enabled AD102 chip, the RTX 4070 Ti Super specifications are relatively modest, with fewer than half as many CUDA cores, underscoring how the AD102 chip being used in MSI's card is a pretty heavy salvage bin.
As for the rest of the card, MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC is a relatively hefty card overall, with a cooling system to match. Being overclocked, the Ventus also has a slightly higher TDP than normal GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super cards, weighing in at 295 Watts, or 10 Watts above baseline cards.
Meanwhile, MSI is apparently not the only video card manufacturer using salvaged AD102 chips for GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super, either. @wxnod has also posted a screenshot obtained on an Inno3D GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super based on an AD102 GPU.
GPUs
Ada Lovelace Lineup: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 TiS (AD103), RTX 4070 TiS (AD102), & RTX 4090 (AD102)
ASMedia Preps USB4 v2 Controller and PHY 
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) introduced USB4 version 2.0 in fall 2022, and it expects systems and devices with the tech to emerge later this year and into next year. These upcoming products will largely rely on Intel's Barlow Ridge controller, a full-featured Thunderbolt 5 controller that goes above and beond the baseline USB4 v2 spec. And though extremely capable, Intel's Thunderbolt controllers are also quite expensive, and Barlow Ridge isn't expected to be any different. Fortunately, for system and device vendors that just need a basic USB4 v2 solution, ASMedia is also working on its own USB4 v2 controller.
At Computex 2024, ASMedia demonstrated a prototype of its upcoming USB4 v2 physical interface (PHY), which will support USB4 v2's new Gen 4 (160Gbps) data rates and the associated PAM-3 signal encoding. The prototype was implemented using an FPGA, as the company yet has to tape out the completed controller.
Ultimately, the purpose of showing off a FPGA-based PHY at Computex was to allow ASMedia to demonstrate their current PHY design. With the shift to PAM-3 encoding for USB4 v2, ASMedia (and the rest of the USB ecosystem) must develop significantly more complex controllers – and there's no part of that more critical than a solid and reliable PHY design.
As part of their demonstration, ASMedia had a classic eye diagram display. The eye diagram demoed has a clear opening in the center, which is indicative of good signal integrity, as the larger the eye opening, the less distortion and noise in the signal. The horizontal width of the eye opening represents the time window in which the signal can be sampled correctly, so the relatively narrow horizontal spread of the eye opening suggests that there is minimal jitter, meaning the signal transitions are consistent and predictable. Finally, the vertical height of the eye opening indicates the signal amplitude and the rather tall eye opening suggests a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), meaning that the signal is strong compared to any noise present.
ASMedia itself is one of the major suppliers for discrete USB controllers, so the availability of ASMedia's USB4 v2 chip is crucial for adoption of the standard in general. While Intel will spearhead the industry with their Barlow Ridge Thunderbolt 5/USB4 v2 controller, ASMedia's controller is poised to end up in a far larger range of devices. So the importance of the company's USB4 v2 PHY demo is hard to overstate.
Demos aside, ASMedia is hoping to tape the chip out soon. If all goes well, the company expects their first USB4 v2 controllers to hit the market some time in the second half of 2025.
Peripherals
NVIDIA's AD102 GPU Pops Up in MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Cards
As GPU families enter the later part of their lifecycles, we often see chip manufacturers start to offload stockpiles of salvaged chips that, for one reason or another, didn't make the grade for the tier of cards they normally are used in. These recovered chips are fairly unremarkable overall, but they are unsold silicon that still works and has economic value, leading to them being used in lower-tier cards so that they can be sold. And, judging by the appearance of a new video card design from MSI, it looks like NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace generation of chips has reached that stage, as the Taiwanese video card maker has put out a new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super card based on a salvaged AD102 GPU.
Typically based on NVIDIA's AD103 GPU, NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super series sits a step below the company's flagship RTX 4080/4090 cards, both of which are based on the bigger and badder AD102 chip. But with some number of AD102 chips inevitably failing to live up to RTX 4080 specifications, rather than being thrown out, these chips can instead be used to make RTX 4070 cards. Which is exactly what MSI has done with their new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC graphics card.
The card itself is relatively unremarkable – using a binned AD102 chip doesn't come with any advantages, and it should perform just like regular AD103 cards – and for that reason, video card vendors rarely publicly note when they're doing a run of cards with a binned-down version of a bigger chip. However, these larger chips have a tell-tale PCB footprint that usually makes it obvious what's going on. Which, as first noticed by @wxnod, is exactly what's going on with MSI's card.
Ada Lovelace Lineup: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 TiS (AD103), RTX 4070 TiS (AD102), & RTX 4090 (AD102)
The tell, in this case, is the rear board shot provided by MSI. The larger AD102 GPU uses an equally larger mounting bracket, and is paired with a slightly more complex array of filtering capacitors on the back side of the board PCB. Ultimately, since these are visible in MSI's photos of their GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC, it's easy to compare it to other video cards and see that it has exactly the same capacitor layout as MSI's GeForce RTX 4090, thus confirming the use of an AD102 GPU.
Chip curiosities aside, all of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics cards – no matter whether they are based on the AD102 or AD103 GPU – come with a GPU with 8,448 active CUDA cores and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, so it doesn't (typically) matter which chip they carry. Otherwise, compared to a fully-enabled AD102 chip, the RTX 4070 Ti Super specifications are relatively modest, with fewer than half as many CUDA cores, underscoring how the AD102 chip being used in MSI's card is a pretty heavy salvage bin.
As for the rest of the card, MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC is a relatively hefty card overall, with a cooling system to match. Being overclocked, the Ventus also has a slightly higher TDP than normal GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super cards, weighing in at 295 Watts, or 10 Watts above baseline cards.
Meanwhile, MSI is apparently not the only video card manufacturer using salvaged AD102 chips for GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super, either. @wxnod has also posted a screenshot obtained on an Inno3D GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super based on an AD102 GPU.
GPUs
Ada Lovelace Lineup: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 TiS (AD103), RTX 4070 TiS (AD102), & RTX 4090 (AD102)
ASMedia Preps USB4 v2 Controller and PHY
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) introduced USB4 version 2.0 in fall 2022, and it expects systems and devices with the tech to emerge later this year and into next year. These upcoming products will largely rely on Intel's Barlow Ridge controller, a full-featured Thunderbolt 5 controller that goes above and beond the baseline USB4 v2 spec. And though extremely capable, Intel's Thunderbolt controllers are also quite expensive, and Barlow Ridge isn't expected to be any different. Fortunately, for system and device vendors that just need a basic USB4 v2 solution, ASMedia is also working on its own USB4 v2 controller.
At Computex 2024, ASMedia demonstrated a prototype of its upcoming USB4 v2 physical interface (PHY), which will support USB4 v2's new Gen 4 (160Gbps) data rates and the associated PAM-3 signal encoding. The prototype was implemented using an FPGA, as the company yet has to tape out the completed controller.
Ultimately, the purpose of showing off a FPGA-based PHY at Computex was to allow ASMedia to demonstrate their current PHY design. With the shift to PAM-3 encoding for USB4 v2, ASMedia (and the rest of the USB ecosystem) must develop significantly more complex controllers – and there's no part of that more critical than a solid and reliable PHY design.
As part of their demonstration, ASMedia had a classic eye diagram display. The eye diagram demoed has a clear opening in the center, which is indicative of good signal integrity, as the larger the eye opening, the less distortion and noise in the signal. The horizontal width of the eye opening represents the time window in which the signal can be sampled correctly, so the relatively narrow horizontal spread of the eye opening suggests that there is minimal jitter, meaning the signal transitions are consistent and predictable. Finally, the vertical height of the eye opening indicates the signal amplitude and the rather tall eye opening suggests a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), meaning that the signal is strong compared to any noise present.
ASMedia itself is one of the major suppliers for discrete USB controllers, so the availability of ASMedia's USB4 v2 chip is crucial for adoption of the standard in general. While Intel will spearhead the industry with their Barlow Ridge Thunderbolt 5/USB4 v2 controller, ASMedia's controller is poised to end up in a far larger range of devices. So the importance of the company's USB4 v2 PHY demo is hard to overstate.
Demos aside, ASMedia is hoping to tape the chip out soon. If all goes well, the company expects their first USB4 v2 controllers to hit the market some time in the second half of 2025.
Peripherals
NVIDIA Closes Above $135, Becomes World’s Most Valuable Company 
Thanks to the success of the burgeoning market for AI accelerators, NVIDIA has been on a tear this year. And the only place that’s even more apparent than the company’s rapidly growing revenues is in the company’s stock price and market capitalization. After breaking into the top 5 most valuable companies only earlier this year, NVIDIA has reached the apex of Wall Street, closing out today as the world’s most valuable company.
With a closing price of $135.58 on a day that saw NVIDIA’s stock pop up another 3.5%, NVIDIA has topped both Microsoft and Apple in valuation, reaching a market capitalization of $3.335 trillion. This follows a rapid rise in the company’s stock price, which has increased by 47% in the last month alone – particularly on the back of NVIDIA’s most recent estimates-beating earnings report – as well as a recent 10-for-1 stock split. And looking at the company’s performance over a longer time period, NVIDIA’s stock jumped a staggering 218% over the last year, or a mere 3,474% over the last 5 years.
NVIDIA’s ascension continues a trend over the last several years of tech companies all holding the top spots in the market capitalization rankings. Though this is the first time in quite a while that the traditional tech leaders of Apple and Microsoft have been pushed aside.
| Market Capitalization Rankings | ||
| Market Cap | Stock Price | |
| NVIDIA | $3.335T | $135.58 |
| Microsoft | $3.317T | $446.34 |
| Apple | $3.285T | $214.29 |
| Alphabet | $2.170T | $176.45 |
| Amazon | $1.902T | $182.81 |
Driving the rapid growth of NVIDIA and its market capitalization has been demand for AI accelerators from NVIDIA, particularly the company’s server-grade H100, H200, and GH200 accelerators for AI training. As the demand for these products has spiked, NVIDIA has been scaling up accordingly, repeatedly beating market expectations for how many of the accelerators they can ship – and what price they can charge. And despite all that growth, orders for NVIDIA’s high-end accelerators are still backlogged, underscoring how NVIDIA still isn’t meeting the full demands of hyperscalers and other enterprises.
Consequently, NVIDIA’s stock price and market capitalization have been on a tear on the basis of these future expectations. With a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 76.7 – more than twice that of Microsoft or Apple – NVIDIA is priced more like a start-up than a 30-year-old tech company. But then it goes without saying that most 30-year-old tech companies aren’t tripling their revenue in a single year, placing NVIDIA in a rather unique situation at this time.
Like the stock market itself, market capitalizations are highly volatile. And historically speaking, it’s far from guaranteed that NVIDIA will be able to hold the top spot for long, never mind day-to-day fluctuations. NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft’s valuations are all within $50 billion (1.%) of each other, so for the moment at least, it’s still a tight race between all three companies. But no matter what happens from here, NVIDIA gets the exceptionally rare claim of having been the most valuable company in the world at some point.
(Carousel image courtesy MSN Money)
GPUs
![](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/07/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap_14.html&text=Samsung Foundry Unveils Updated Roadmap: BSPDN and 2nm Evolution Through 2027 <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung Advanced Process Roadmap_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Samsung this week has unveiled its latest process technologies roadmap at the company's Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) U.S. The new plan covers the evolution of Samsung's 2nm-class production nodes through 2027, including a process technology with a backside power delivery, re-emphasizing plans to bring out a 1.4nm-class node in 2027, and the introduction of a 'high value' 4nm-class manufacturing tech.</p>
<p>Samsung Foundry's key announcements for today are clearly focused on the its 2nm-class process technologies, which are set to enter production in 2025 and will span to 2027, when the company's 1.4-nm class production node is set to enter the scene. Samsung is also adding (or rather, renaming) another 2nm-class node to their roadmap with SF2, which was previously disclosed by Samsung as SF3P and aimed at high-performance devices.</p>
<p>"We have refined and improved the SF3P, resulting in what we now refer to as SF2," a Samsung spokesperson told <em>AnandTech</em>. "This enhanced node incorporates various process design improvements, delivering notable power, performance, and area (PPA) benefits."</p>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 246);" width="680">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td align="center" colspan="9">Samsung Foundry for Leading-Edge Nodes<br />
<small>Announced on June 12, 2024<br />
<em>Compiled by AnandTech</em></small></td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td colspan="2" rowspan="1" width="186">HVM Start</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2023</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2024</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2025</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2026</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Process</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3E</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2<br />
(aka SF3P)</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2P/SF2X</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF2Z</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF1.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">FET</td>
<td align="center" colspan="6" rowspan="1" valign="middle">GAAFET</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Power Delivery</td>
<td align="center" colspan="4" rowspan="1" valign="middle">Frontside</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">Backside (BSPDN)</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">EUV</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" rowspan="1" valign="middle">0.33 NA EUV</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>This is another example of a rebranding of leading-edge fabrication nodes in the recent years by a major chipmaker. Samsung Foundry is not disclosing any specific PPA improvements SF3P has over SF2, and for now is only stating in high-level terms that it will be a better-performing node than the planned SF3P.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung%202nm%20Process%20Roadmap%20based%20on%20GAA%20Technology.jpeg" style="width: 100%;" /></a></p>
<p>Meanwhile, this week's announcement also includes new information on Samsung's next batch of process nodes, which are planned for 2026 and 2027. In 2026 Samsung will have SF2P, a further refinement of SF2 which incorporates 'faster' yet less dense transistors. That will be followed up in 2027 with SF2Z, which adds backside power delivery to the mix for better and higher quality power delivery. In particular, Samsung is targetting voltate drop (aka IR drop) here, which is an ongoing concern in chip design.</p>
<p>Finally, SF1.4, a 1.4nm-class node, is on track for 2027 as well. Interestingly, however, it looks like it does not feature a backside power delivery. Which, per current roadmaps, would have Samsung as the only foundry not using BSPDN for their first 1.4nm/14<span class="BxUVEf ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Å</span></span>-class node.</p>
<p>"We have optimized BSPDN and incorporated it for the first time in the SF2Z node we announced today," the spokesperso... Semiconductors){kind=link}
![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/07/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap_14.html&media=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tDcMfoFm-Eq1DZLdnmO8xmcNe_uCVvcX7buwRTHofc4qZbmXBYD8qmpUZ1mqCmWLcRr2UtuBU4wV58ZfaH4ymt8TcW3YPHuDRd1rihpn9d1LW6iAsC7BK56PXIoGtMdhxMt_d-0O67RL8znbjm48Hp1bVIl4l_RDbJJl0&description=Samsung Foundry Unveils Updated Roadmap: BSPDN and 2nm Evolution Through 2027 <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung Advanced Process Roadmap_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Samsung this week has unveiled its latest process technologies roadmap at the company's Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) U.S. The new plan covers the evolution of Samsung's 2nm-class production nodes through 2027, including a process technology with a backside power delivery, re-emphasizing plans to bring out a 1.4nm-class node in 2027, and the introduction of a 'high value' 4nm-class manufacturing tech.</p>
<p>Samsung Foundry's key announcements for today are clearly focused on the its 2nm-class process technologies, which are set to enter production in 2025 and will span to 2027, when the company's 1.4-nm class production node is set to enter the scene. Samsung is also adding (or rather, renaming) another 2nm-class node to their roadmap with SF2, which was previously disclosed by Samsung as SF3P and aimed at high-performance devices.</p>
<p>"We have refined and improved the SF3P, resulting in what we now refer to as SF2," a Samsung spokesperson told <em>AnandTech</em>. "This enhanced node incorporates various process design improvements, delivering notable power, performance, and area (PPA) benefits."</p>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 246);" width="680">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td align="center" colspan="9">Samsung Foundry for Leading-Edge Nodes<br />
<small>Announced on June 12, 2024<br />
<em>Compiled by AnandTech</em></small></td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td colspan="2" rowspan="1" width="186">HVM Start</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2023</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2024</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2025</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2026</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Process</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3E</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2<br />
(aka SF3P)</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2P/SF2X</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF2Z</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF1.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">FET</td>
<td align="center" colspan="6" rowspan="1" valign="middle">GAAFET</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Power Delivery</td>
<td align="center" colspan="4" rowspan="1" valign="middle">Frontside</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">Backside (BSPDN)</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">EUV</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" rowspan="1" valign="middle">0.33 NA EUV</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>This is another example of a rebranding of leading-edge fabrication nodes in the recent years by a major chipmaker. Samsung Foundry is not disclosing any specific PPA improvements SF3P has over SF2, and for now is only stating in high-level terms that it will be a better-performing node than the planned SF3P.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung%202nm%20Process%20Roadmap%20based%20on%20GAA%20Technology.jpeg" style="width: 100%;" /></a></p>
<p>Meanwhile, this week's announcement also includes new information on Samsung's next batch of process nodes, which are planned for 2026 and 2027. In 2026 Samsung will have SF2P, a further refinement of SF2 which incorporates 'faster' yet less dense transistors. That will be followed up in 2027 with SF2Z, which adds backside power delivery to the mix for better and higher quality power delivery. In particular, Samsung is targetting voltate drop (aka IR drop) here, which is an ongoing concern in chip design.</p>
<p>Finally, SF1.4, a 1.4nm-class node, is on track for 2027 as well. Interestingly, however, it looks like it does not feature a backside power delivery. Which, per current roadmaps, would have Samsung as the only foundry not using BSPDN for their first 1.4nm/14<span class="BxUVEf ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Å</span></span>-class node.</p>
<p>"We have optimized BSPDN and incorporated it for the first time in the SF2Z node we announced today," the spokesperso... Semiconductors){kind=link}
![](https://web.whatsapp.com/send?text=Samsung Foundry Unveils Updated Roadmap: BSPDN and 2nm Evolution Through 2027 <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung Advanced Process Roadmap_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Samsung this week has unveiled its latest process technologies roadmap at the company's Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) U.S. The new plan covers the evolution of Samsung's 2nm-class production nodes through 2027, including a process technology with a backside power delivery, re-emphasizing plans to bring out a 1.4nm-class node in 2027, and the introduction of a 'high value' 4nm-class manufacturing tech.</p>
<p>Samsung Foundry's key announcements for today are clearly focused on the its 2nm-class process technologies, which are set to enter production in 2025 and will span to 2027, when the company's 1.4-nm class production node is set to enter the scene. Samsung is also adding (or rather, renaming) another 2nm-class node to their roadmap with SF2, which was previously disclosed by Samsung as SF3P and aimed at high-performance devices.</p>
<p>"We have refined and improved the SF3P, resulting in what we now refer to as SF2," a Samsung spokesperson told <em>AnandTech</em>. "This enhanced node incorporates various process design improvements, delivering notable power, performance, and area (PPA) benefits."</p>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 246);" width="680">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td align="center" colspan="9">Samsung Foundry for Leading-Edge Nodes<br />
<small>Announced on June 12, 2024<br />
<em>Compiled by AnandTech</em></small></td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td colspan="2" rowspan="1" width="186">HVM Start</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2023</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2024</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2025</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2026</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Process</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3E</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2<br />
(aka SF3P)</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2P/SF2X</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF2Z</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF1.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">FET</td>
<td align="center" colspan="6" rowspan="1" valign="middle">GAAFET</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Power Delivery</td>
<td align="center" colspan="4" rowspan="1" valign="middle">Frontside</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">Backside (BSPDN)</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">EUV</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" rowspan="1" valign="middle">0.33 NA EUV</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>This is another example of a rebranding of leading-edge fabrication nodes in the recent years by a major chipmaker. Samsung Foundry is not disclosing any specific PPA improvements SF3P has over SF2, and for now is only stating in high-level terms that it will be a better-performing node than the planned SF3P.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung%202nm%20Process%20Roadmap%20based%20on%20GAA%20Technology.jpeg" style="width: 100%;" /></a></p>
<p>Meanwhile, this week's announcement also includes new information on Samsung's next batch of process nodes, which are planned for 2026 and 2027. In 2026 Samsung will have SF2P, a further refinement of SF2 which incorporates 'faster' yet less dense transistors. That will be followed up in 2027 with SF2Z, which adds backside power delivery to the mix for better and higher quality power delivery. In particular, Samsung is targetting voltate drop (aka IR drop) here, which is an ongoing concern in chip design.</p>
<p>Finally, SF1.4, a 1.4nm-class node, is on track for 2027 as well. Interestingly, however, it looks like it does not feature a backside power delivery. Which, per current roadmaps, would have Samsung as the only foundry not using BSPDN for their first 1.4nm/14<span class="BxUVEf ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Å</span></span>-class node.</p>
<p>"We have optimized BSPDN and incorporated it for the first time in the SF2Z node we announced today," the spokesperso... Semiconductors | https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/07/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap_14.html){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Samsung Foundry Unveils Updated Roadmap: BSPDN and 2nm Evolution Through 2027 <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung Advanced Process Roadmap_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Samsung this week has unveiled its latest process technologies roadmap at the company's Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) U.S. The new plan covers the evolution of Samsung's 2nm-class production nodes through 2027, including a process technology with a backside power delivery, re-emphasizing plans to bring out a 1.4nm-class node in 2027, and the introduction of a 'high value' 4nm-class manufacturing tech.</p>
<p>Samsung Foundry's key announcements for today are clearly focused on the its 2nm-class process technologies, which are set to enter production in 2025 and will span to 2027, when the company's 1.4-nm class production node is set to enter the scene. Samsung is also adding (or rather, renaming) another 2nm-class node to their roadmap with SF2, which was previously disclosed by Samsung as SF3P and aimed at high-performance devices.</p>
<p>"We have refined and improved the SF3P, resulting in what we now refer to as SF2," a Samsung spokesperson told <em>AnandTech</em>. "This enhanced node incorporates various process design improvements, delivering notable power, performance, and area (PPA) benefits."</p>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 246);" width="680">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td align="center" colspan="9">Samsung Foundry for Leading-Edge Nodes<br />
<small>Announced on June 12, 2024<br />
<em>Compiled by AnandTech</em></small></td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td colspan="2" rowspan="1" width="186">HVM Start</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2023</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2024</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2025</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2026</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle" width="136">2027</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Process</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3E</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF3</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2<br />
(aka SF3P)</td>
<td align="center" rowspan="1" valign="middle">SF2P/SF2X</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF2Z</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">SF1.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">FET</td>
<td align="center" colspan="6" rowspan="1" valign="middle">GAAFET</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Power Delivery</td>
<td align="center" colspan="4" rowspan="1" valign="middle">Frontside</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">Backside (BSPDN)</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" colspan="2" rowspan="1">EUV</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" rowspan="1" valign="middle">0.33 NA EUV</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
<td align="center" valign="middle">?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>This is another example of a rebranding of leading-edge fabrication nodes in the recent years by a major chipmaker. Samsung Foundry is not disclosing any specific PPA improvements SF3P has over SF2, and for now is only stating in high-level terms that it will be a better-performing node than the planned SF3P.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21444/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap-2nm-evolution-through-2027"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21444/Samsung%202nm%20Process%20Roadmap%20based%20on%20GAA%20Technology.jpeg" style="width: 100%;" /></a></p>
<p>Meanwhile, this week's announcement also includes new information on Samsung's next batch of process nodes, which are planned for 2026 and 2027. In 2026 Samsung will have SF2P, a further refinement of SF2 which incorporates 'faster' yet less dense transistors. That will be followed up in 2027 with SF2Z, which adds backside power delivery to the mix for better and higher quality power delivery. In particular, Samsung is targetting voltate drop (aka IR drop) here, which is an ongoing concern in chip design.</p>
<p>Finally, SF1.4, a 1.4nm-class node, is on track for 2027 as well. Interestingly, however, it looks like it does not feature a backside power delivery. Which, per current roadmaps, would have Samsung as the only foundry not using BSPDN for their first 1.4nm/14<span class="BxUVEf ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Å</span></span>-class node.</p>
<p>"We have optimized BSPDN and incorporated it for the first time in the SF2Z node we announced today," the spokesperso... Semiconductors&body=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/07/samsung-foundry-unveils-updated-roadmap_14.html){kind=link}
NVIDIA Closes Above $135, Becomes World’s Most Valuable Company
Thanks to the success of the burgeoning market for AI accelerators, NVIDIA has been on a tear this year. And the only place that’s even more apparent than the company’s rapidly growing revenues is in the company’s stock price and market capitalization. After breaking into the top 5 most valuable companies only earlier this year, NVIDIA has reached the apex of Wall Street, closing out today as the world’s most valuable company.
With a closing price of $135.58 on a day that saw NVIDIA’s stock pop up another 3.5%, NVIDIA has topped both Microsoft and Apple in valuation, reaching a market capitalization of $3.335 trillion. This follows a rapid rise in the company’s stock price, which has increased by 47% in the last month alone – particularly on the back of NVIDIA’s most recent estimates-beating earnings report – as well as a recent 10-for-1 stock split. And looking at the company’s performance over a longer time period, NVIDIA’s stock jumped a staggering 218% over the last year, or a mere 3,474% over the last 5 years.
NVIDIA’s ascension continues a trend over the last several years of tech companies all holding the top spots in the market capitalization rankings. Though this is the first time in quite a while that the traditional tech leaders of Apple and Microsoft have been pushed aside.
| Market Capitalization Rankings | ||
| Market Cap | Stock Price | |
| NVIDIA | $3.335T | $135.58 |
| Microsoft | $3.317T | $446.34 |
| Apple | $3.285T | $214.29 |
| Alphabet | $2.170T | $176.45 |
| Amazon | $1.902T | $182.81 |
Driving the rapid growth of NVIDIA and its market capitalization has been demand for AI accelerators from NVIDIA, particularly the company’s server-grade H100, H200, and GH200 accelerators for AI training. As the demand for these products has spiked, NVIDIA has been scaling up accordingly, repeatedly beating market expectations for how many of the accelerators they can ship – and what price they can charge. And despite all that growth, orders for NVIDIA’s high-end accelerators are still backlogged, underscoring how NVIDIA still isn’t meeting the full demands of hyperscalers and other enterprises.
Consequently, NVIDIA’s stock price and market capitalization have been on a tear on the basis of these future expectations. With a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 76.7 – more than twice that of Microsoft or Apple – NVIDIA is priced more like a start-up than a 30-year-old tech company. But then it goes without saying that most 30-year-old tech companies aren’t tripling their revenue in a single year, placing NVIDIA in a rather unique situation at this time.
Like the stock market itself, market capitalizations are highly volatile. And historically speaking, it’s far from guaranteed that NVIDIA will be able to hold the top spot for long, never mind day-to-day fluctuations. NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft’s valuations are all within $50 billion (1.%) of each other, so for the moment at least, it’s still a tight race between all three companies. But no matter what happens from here, NVIDIA gets the exceptionally rare claim of having been the most valuable company in the world at some point.
(Carousel image courtesy MSN Money)
GPUs
NVIDIA Closes Above $135, Becomes World’s Most Valuable Company
Thanks to the success of the burgeoning market for AI accelerators, NVIDIA has been on a tear this year. And the only place that’s even more apparent than the company’s rapidly growing revenues is in the company’s stock price and market capitalization. After breaking into the top 5 most valuable companies only earlier this year, NVIDIA has reached the apex of Wall Street, closing out today as the world’s most valuable company.
With a closing price of $135.58 on a day that saw NVIDIA’s stock pop up another 3.5%, NVIDIA has topped both Microsoft and Apple in valuation, reaching a market capitalization of $3.335 trillion. This follows a rapid rise in the company’s stock price, which has increased by 47% in the last month alone – particularly on the back of NVIDIA’s most recent estimates-beating earnings report – as well as a recent 10-for-1 stock split. And looking at the company’s performance over a longer time period, NVIDIA’s stock jumped a staggering 218% over the last year, or a mere 3,474% over the last 5 years.
NVIDIA’s ascension continues a trend over the last several years of tech companies all holding the top spots in the market capitalization rankings. Though this is the first time in quite a while that the traditional tech leaders of Apple and Microsoft have been pushed aside.
| Market Capitalization Rankings | ||
| Market Cap | Stock Price | |
| NVIDIA | $3.335T | $135.58 |
| Microsoft | $3.317T | $446.34 |
| Apple | $3.285T | $214.29 |
| Alphabet | $2.170T | $176.45 |
| Amazon | $1.902T | $182.81 |
Driving the rapid growth of NVIDIA and its market capitalization has been demand for AI accelerators from NVIDIA, particularly the company’s server-grade H100, H200, and GH200 accelerators for AI training. As the demand for these products has spiked, NVIDIA has been scaling up accordingly, repeatedly beating market expectations for how many of the accelerators they can ship – and what price they can charge. And despite all that growth, orders for NVIDIA’s high-end accelerators are still backlogged, underscoring how NVIDIA still isn’t meeting the full demands of hyperscalers and other enterprises.
Consequently, NVIDIA’s stock price and market capitalization have been on a tear on the basis of these future expectations. With a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 76.7 – more than twice that of Microsoft or Apple – NVIDIA is priced more like a start-up than a 30-year-old tech company. But then it goes without saying that most 30-year-old tech companies aren’t tripling their revenue in a single year, placing NVIDIA in a rather unique situation at this time.
Like the stock market itself, market capitalizations are highly volatile. And historically speaking, it’s far from guaranteed that NVIDIA will be able to hold the top spot for long, never mind day-to-day fluctuations. NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft’s valuations are all within $50 billion (1.%) of each other, so for the moment at least, it’s still a tight race between all three companies. But no matter what happens from here, NVIDIA gets the exceptionally rare claim of having been the most valuable company in the world at some point.
(Carousel image courtesy MSN Money)
GPUs
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NVIDIA's AD102 GPU Pops Up in MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Cards
As GPU families enter the later part of their lifecycles, we often see chip manufacturers start to offload stockpiles of salvaged chips that, for one reason or another, didn't make the grade for the tier of cards they normally are used in. These recovered chips are fairly unremarkable overall, but they are unsold silicon that still works and has economic value, leading to them being used in lower-tier cards so that they can be sold. And, judging by the appearance of a new video card design from MSI, it looks like NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace generation of chips has reached that stage, as the Taiwanese video card maker has put out a new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super card based on a salvaged AD102 GPU.
Typically based on NVIDIA's AD103 GPU, NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super series sits a step below the company's flagship RTX 4080/4090 cards, both of which are based on the bigger and badder AD102 chip. But with some number of AD102 chips inevitably failing to live up to RTX 4080 specifications, rather than being thrown out, these chips can instead be used to make RTX 4070 cards. Which is exactly what MSI has done with their new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC graphics card.
The card itself is relatively unremarkable – using a binned AD102 chip doesn't come with any advantages, and it should perform just like regular AD103 cards – and for that reason, video card vendors rarely publicly note when they're doing a run of cards with a binned-down version of a bigger chip. However, these larger chips have a tell-tale PCB footprint that usually makes it obvious what's going on. Which, as first noticed by @wxnod, is exactly what's going on with MSI's card.
Ada Lovelace Lineup: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 TiS (AD103), RTX 4070 TiS (AD102), & RTX 4090 (AD102)
The tell, in this case, is the rear board shot provided by MSI. The larger AD102 GPU uses an equally larger mounting bracket, and is paired with a slightly more complex array of filtering capacitors on the back side of the board PCB. Ultimately, since these are visible in MSI's photos of their GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC, it's easy to compare it to other video cards and see that it has exactly the same capacitor layout as MSI's GeForce RTX 4090, thus confirming the use of an AD102 GPU.
Chip curiosities aside, all of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics cards – no matter whether they are based on the AD102 or AD103 GPU – come with a GPU with 8,448 active CUDA cores and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, so it doesn't (typically) matter which chip they carry. Otherwise, compared to a fully-enabled AD102 chip, the RTX 4070 Ti Super specifications are relatively modest, with fewer than half as many CUDA cores, underscoring how the AD102 chip being used in MSI's card is a pretty heavy salvage bin.
As for the rest of the card, MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC is a relatively hefty card overall, with a cooling system to match. Being overclocked, the Ventus also has a slightly higher TDP than normal GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super cards, weighing in at 295 Watts, or 10 Watts above baseline cards.
Meanwhile, MSI is apparently not the only video card manufacturer using salvaged AD102 chips for GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super, either. @wxnod has also posted a screenshot obtained on an Inno3D GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super based on an AD102 GPU.
GPUs
Ada Lovelace Lineup: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 TiS (AD103), RTX 4070 TiS (AD102), & RTX 4090 (AD102)
ASMedia Preps USB4 v2 Controller and PHY
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) introduced USB4 version 2.0 in fall 2022, and it expects systems and devices with the tech to emerge later this year and into next year. These upcoming products will largely rely on Intel's Barlow Ridge controller, a full-featured Thunderbolt 5 controller that goes above and beond the baseline USB4 v2 spec. And though extremely capable, Intel's Thunderbolt controllers are also quite expensive, and Barlow Ridge isn't expected to be any different. Fortunately, for system and device vendors that just need a basic USB4 v2 solution, ASMedia is also working on its own USB4 v2 controller.
At Computex 2024, ASMedia demonstrated a prototype of its upcoming USB4 v2 physical interface (PHY), which will support USB4 v2's new Gen 4 (160Gbps) data rates and the associated PAM-3 signal encoding. The prototype was implemented using an FPGA, as the company yet has to tape out the completed controller.
Ultimately, the purpose of showing off a FPGA-based PHY at Computex was to allow ASMedia to demonstrate their current PHY design. With the shift to PAM-3 encoding for USB4 v2, ASMedia (and the rest of the USB ecosystem) must develop significantly more complex controllers – and there's no part of that more critical than a solid and reliable PHY design.
As part of their demonstration, ASMedia had a classic eye diagram display. The eye diagram demoed has a clear opening in the center, which is indicative of good signal integrity, as the larger the eye opening, the less distortion and noise in the signal. The horizontal width of the eye opening represents the time window in which the signal can be sampled correctly, so the relatively narrow horizontal spread of the eye opening suggests that there is minimal jitter, meaning the signal transitions are consistent and predictable. Finally, the vertical height of the eye opening indicates the signal amplitude and the rather tall eye opening suggests a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), meaning that the signal is strong compared to any noise present.
ASMedia itself is one of the major suppliers for discrete USB controllers, so the availability of ASMedia's USB4 v2 chip is crucial for adoption of the standard in general. While Intel will spearhead the industry with their Barlow Ridge Thunderbolt 5/USB4 v2 controller, ASMedia's controller is poised to end up in a far larger range of devices. So the importance of the company's USB4 v2 PHY demo is hard to overstate.
Demos aside, ASMedia is hoping to tape the chip out soon. If all goes well, the company expects their first USB4 v2 controllers to hit the market some time in the second half of 2025.
Peripherals
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