Samsung's foundry business will not close its gap with TSMC through 2027, despite its $16.5 billion Tesla chip deal being widely cast as a turnaround.
TSMC's record 72.5% global market share in Q2 reflects overwhelming control of advanced AI chip manufacturing, and Samsung's path to catching up depends on its 2-nanometre yields, the rate of usable chips per silicon wafer, clearing roughly 70%, the level industry reports say is needed for reliable high-volume orders. Samsung's yields at its Texas plant remain near 55%, which already forced a six-month delay to Tesla's chips and pushed real output there into late 2027, meaning the deal will not translate to real market share recovery until 2028 at the earliest.
TSMC's record 72.5% global market share in Q2 reflects overwhelming control of advanced AI chip manufacturing, and Samsung's path to catching up depends on its 2-nanometre yields, the rate of usable chips per silicon wafer, clearing roughly 70%, the level industry reports say is needed for reliable high-volume orders. Samsung's yields at its Texas plant remain near 55%, which already forced a six-month delay to Tesla's chips and pushed real output there into late 2027, meaning the deal will not translate to real market share recovery until 2028 at the earliest.