The global semiconductor crisis is not yet over and at the end of 2022 it will continue to experience gloomy moments, in addition to not having the desired momentum for its recovery next year, warned an executive from Samsung, one of the companies fighting for be a leader in the chip industry.
“The general perception at the beginning of this year was that the second half would be better, but from April to May it changed drastically,” said Kyung Kyehyun, leader of Samsung’s device solutions division, who is in charge of overseeing operations around Samsung. to the semiconductors in the company.
To deal with this scenario, the South Korean company’s strategy will be to respond faster to market changes, rather than limiting itself to an investment plan prepared in advance, the executive said during a media session at its Pyeongtaek factory.
However, it is important to note that the company has made important investment announcements in recent times. At the end of June, the multinational began mass production of three-nanometer chips that are more powerful and efficient than their predecessors, which allowed it to take a step forward from other companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC).
This initial production, detailed the company, will be intended to support high-performance and low-power computing applications. Later, in a second phase, part of that production will shift to the production of components for devices such as smartphones and tablets.
On the other hand, in mid-August the company announced an investment of 15,000 million dollars until 2028 for the construction of an advanced research complex in South Korea, where work will be carried out for new technologies and manufacturing processes. for semiconductor systems.
These investments are significant for Samsung, said company vice president Jay Y Lee, as they give it a place in the future of the chip industry. “We need to continue our tradition of investing preemptively and emphasizing technology,” the executive said.
Samsung seeks a middle ground between the United States and China
In addition to offering a dark outlook for the semiconductor industry in the remainder of 2022, Kyehyun also spoke of his relationship with the US and China in a context in which these two countries, with which he has commercial relations, are confronting each other at a technological level. .
“It is difficult for us to overlook such a market (China) and there are many important customers. We are trying to find a win-win solution in the midst of this conflict,” Kyehyun commented.
And it is that although the United States announced billions of dollars as an incentive for companies that invest in the manufacture of chips in its territory, it also conditioned that any company that wants a part of that subsidy must refrain from manufacturing chips in China for 10 years.
It should be remembered that in November of last year, Samsung announced an investment of 17,000 million for the construction of a plant in Taylor, Texas by the end of this year, which will generate closer relations with the US, Kyehyun said.
He also recalled that in July they announced their plans to expand their manufacturing facilities in the United States, through potential plans in which they would spend almost 200,000 million dollars in 11 plants.
