Dec. 18, 2025 –
Earlier in the year, Samsung's foundry business reportedly attracted a new set of orders from important clients. Instead of the "still in-progress" cutting-edge 2 nm GAA node process (aka SF2), key customers selected more mature production lines: 5 nm and 8 nm. Approximately seven months later, Intel is reportedly on Samsung Foundry's production order books, with semiconductor industry insiders disclosing details of a major deal. According to a two-day-old Hankyung news article, a next-gen Platform Controller Hub (PCH) design has been linked to a "legacy-grade" 8-nanometer node. Inside trackers reckon that Team Blue's futuristic mainboard chipset is heading towards mass production, with a "full-scale" phase anticipated next year.
Speculation points to the eventual arrival of 900-series chipsets; destined to control "Nova Lake" desktop processors. In theory, a flagship variant—perhaps "Z990"—could be the first of Intel's 8 nm PCH products to reach retail by late 2026. Currently, the foundry service's Taylor, Texas-based facility—aka Samsung Austin Semiconductor—produces a selection of current-gen 14 nm chipsets for Team Blue. Back in South Korea, the Hwaseong 8 nm production line can pump out about 30,000 to 40,000 wafers per month. It is possible that Intel has favored Samsung's native operation due to a high level of node maturity and operational reliability.