Samsung reportedly delays purchase of fab tools for fab in Texas — chipmaker allegedly faces challenges with securing clients

According to a Reuters report that cites people familiar with the matter, Samsung has postponed receiving chipmaking equipment for its $17 billion factory in Taylor, Texas, due to challenges with securing customers for the project. The delay in the fab's production starting in 2026 has been discussed for months, so, unsurprisingly, the chipmaker does not want to get tools from ASML and pay for them.

The equipment delay involves advanced Twinscan NXE EUV lithography systems from ASML, valued at around $200 million each. The Samsung Foundry fab in Taylor, Texas, will use Samsung's process technologies based on gate-all-around MBCFET transistors, including SF3 and SF2-series (3nm and 2nm-class, respectively), so it is set to use EUV tools extensively. Yet, we do not know how many EUV machines Samsung originally ordered for this fab.

Still, in addition to high-end Twinscan NXE:3800E (and perhaps NXE:3600D) EUV scanners for critical layers with the most complex circuitry, the fab needs more conventional DUV tools, such as Twinscan NXT:2100i, for less complex steps. The number of these machines in a fab is considerably higher than the number of Twinscan NXE systems.

The delivery of litho tools (and possibly other tools, including cleaning, deposition, and etching systems) was initially scheduled for earlier in the year. Still, Samsung postponed the process, which impacted Samsung's suppliers. With no immediate orders from Samsung, some have started seeking other customers, and many have withdrawn staff stationed at the site. These delays raise concerns among industry analysts, who warn that further setbacks could make the factory a financial burden and a 'stranded asset' if Samsung fails to secure new clients that will use the fab's capacity.

One of the reasons why Samsung Foundry fails to secure large customers is believed to be low yields, particularly at advanced nodes, such as SF3E and SF3, based on media reports. Typically, foundries sell their customers either wafer with a guaranteed yield level (i.e., the number of sellable chips) or actual sellable dies (a rare term), depending on the contract. If Samsung consistently fails to achieve yields, it cannot deliver the volumes its clients need, which ruins their business plans. In the end, Samsung Foundry struggles to land new orders.