Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang attended the ceremony held at Samsung Electronics Hwaseong Campus on July 25 to mark the first shipment of 3-nanometer chips and congratulated the historic milestone, ensuring government support in line with the Ministry’s recently announced national semiconductor powerhouse strategy.

Samsung Electronics’ accomplishment is meaningful in that the 3-nanometer semiconductor mass production is a global first, a step faster than even the industry’s current no. 1, a Taiwanese competitor called TSMC. The core technology that brought about the breakthrough is the innovative gate-all-around (GAA) transistor technology.

When considering that domestic MPE (materials, parts, equipment) producers and system chip companies co-developed the ultrafine materials, equipment and semiconductor intellectual property (IP), the abovementioned achievement is a fruit harvested through joint efforts of the entire Korean semiconductor industry.

High-tech semiconductor production facilities are another form of national security asset, so the successful 3-nanometer chip mass production is also significant in terms of national economy and security.

Minister Lee expressed gratitude to the Samsung Electronics’ employees and their technological development endeavors, calling for cooperation among Samsung Electronics, the system chip industry and the MPE sector. He emphasized the Government’s commitment to support a nationwide ecosystem in line with the Ministry’s “semiconductor superpower strategy” by providing assistance to investment attraction, training up skilled workforce, technology development and building an MPE ecosystem.

Moreover, he noted the importance of domestic demand in stabilizing a 3-nanometer foundry market and affirmed the Ministry’s plan to enforce plans to bolster competitiveness of displays, batteries, future mobility, robots and bio, which are sectors critical for driving future demand.