Samsung Begins Mass Production of ‘Exynos 2500’ – Monthly Output of 5,000 Wafers, Yield Below 50%
◇ 3nm Process Applied, Initial Monthly Production of 5,000 Wafers
Samsung Electronics has started mass production of the Exynos 2500, an application processor (AP) using the 3nm process. The wafer testing, expected to begin as early as March, will be handled by Nepes Ark and Doosan Tesna.
The Exynos 2500 is planned to be installed in a foldable phone set to be released in the second half of this year, which industry experts speculate to be the ‘Galaxy Z Flip FE’.
Samsung originally intended to begin mass production of the Exynos 2500 in the second half of last year and integrate it into the Galaxy S25. However, due to difficulties in process stabilization, the schedule was delayed, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon AP was ultimately chosen for the Galaxy S25 series.
◇ Wafer Testing Begins in March… Backend Packaging Handled Internally
Samsung’s wafer testing for the Exynos 2500 is scheduled to begin in March, with its yield reportedly below 50%.
The backend packaging process will be handled internally, and the final Exynos 2500 products are expected to be supplied to Samsung’s Mobile eXperience (MX) division around April.
An MX division official stated, “Considering that Samsung typically unveils new foldable Galaxy devices in July or August, the Exynos 2500 production must be completed by April at the latest.”
The initial production volume is set at 5,000 wafers per month, but it is expected to decrease to 3,000–3,500 wafers per month in the future.
Industry sources predict that, in addition to the Galaxy Z Flip FE, the Exynos 2500 may also be installed in a budget variant of the Galaxy S25.
◇ Next-Generation ‘Exynos 2600’ in Development – SF2 Process Adoption
Samsung is also working on stabilizing the yield for its next-generation Exynos 2600 AP, which will use the SF2 process featuring third-generation Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology.
This new process is expected to improve:
- Performance by 12%
- Power efficiency by 25%
- Chip area efficiency by 5%
Samsung plans to integrate the Exynos 2600 into the Galaxy S26, scheduled for release in Q1 2026. If yield stabilization progresses smoothly, mass production could begin in Q4 2025.
Recent test production achieved a yield of around 30%.
◇ Confidence in 2nm Process – Discussions with Tier-1 Customers
Samsung is also actively working on securing 2nm process orders.
During the Q4 2024 earnings call, the company stated that:
- It is in discussions with Tier-1 customers across various sectors, including mobile, HPC (High-Performance Computing), and automotive applications.
- It aims to expand its advanced packaging technologies leveraging its competitive GAA process.
Samsung plans to extend its 2nm process applications beyond mobile to high-performance computing (HPC) and automotive sectors.