A smartphone manufacturer adopting a 7-nm process chip may only be Apple and Samsung Ali

Chips adopted in Apple's iPhone X and Samsung's Galaxy S8 series, etc. were manufactured in a 10 nm process. The smaller the number in this manufacturing process, the finer the circuit line width can be, the smaller the chip can be made and the speed can be improved, so chips adopted for digital terminals such as PCs and smart phones can be manufactured every year It is going to be miniaturized. Meanwhile, in the smartphone that appears in 2018, it is reported that only the terminals of Apple and Samsung may be equipped with chips of 7 nm process.

Qualcomm, MediaTek yet to advance to 7 nm node
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20171213PD206.html


Apple & Samsung could only smartphone makers with 7 nm chips in 2018
http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/12/13/apple-samsung-could-be-only-smartphone-makers-with-7nm-chips-in-2018

Qualcomm is released for smartphones "Snapdragon 845In order to manufacture, we decided to adopt Samsung's 10 nm process rather than proceeding to 7 nm process. Semiconductor manufacturer MediaTek also announced that it will adopt TSMC's 12 / 16nm process in the "Helio P" series, which will start production in the first half of 2018. By announcing that two major chipmakers for smartphones called Qualcomm and MediaTek will not adopt the 7 nm process with the main chip in 2018, it is almost definite that most of the smartphones that appear in 2018 will not have a 7 nm process chip It is.

As smartphone demand slows down, it becomes the heart of the terminalChips prices also gradually declineddoing. As a result, chip makers are pressing on the need to think seriously about the cost of the new chipset. And Qualcomm and MediaTek have decided not to adopt the 7 nm process because it may not be able to raise profits commensurate with the introduction cost for manufacturing processes requiring higher costs, that is, finer manufacturing processes That's why.


According to stakeholders, the chip manufactured in the 7 nm process is not so different in performance and size compared with the 10 nm process chip, and it has big advantages only with low power consumption. Therefore, many smartphone chip manufacturers are waiting for introduction considering their own interests. However, TSMC, which is also a chip supplier of Apple, has already decided to manufacture 7-nm process chips, and Apple said that they entrusted chips to the next iPhoneNews reportThere is also.

Considering the development cost etc. of chips manufactured by the 7 nm process, it is necessary to ship 120 nm to 150 Million 7 nm process chips annually in order to make profits, and manufacturers that can meet this requirement Is estimated to be only Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek, it is estimated that even profitable companies such as Huawei and OPPO will not be profitable.