Samsung's latest announcements about delays in 1.4 nanometer chip production foreshadow worrying consequences. Although this may seem like a minor engineering detail at first glance, the decision could have serious implications for the mobile industry as a whole and for Samsung's own chip manufacturing strategy. It is worth understanding what this actually means and why the manufacturing technology used for future Exynos chips matters.
In Samsung's original plans, the 1.4-nanometer manufacturing technology, dubbed SF1.4, would have played a key role in the chips of the coming years. However, even the company no longer considers mass production before 2028–2029 to be realistic. Instead of trying to achieve the smallest possible line width at all costs, Samsung has changed its strategy: it is now focusing its resources and development efforts on optimizing its existing 2nm (SF2) and 4nm nodes.
This decision is not only a technical one, but also a business decision. In the current environment, where competitors such as TSMC and Intel are already planning to launch their own 2nm or 18A processes by the end of 2025, it has become more urgent for Samsung to get the most out of the technologies already available. The 2nm node, for example, offers 12% higher performance and 25% better energy efficiency than its 3nm predecessor, which could bring noticeable improvements for users – all without introducing new, riskier processes.
The next-generation Exynos 2600 chip, which is expected to power the Galaxy S26 series coming in 2026, will also be manufactured using the 2nm process. For Samsung, the focus for the next few years is clear: refining existing manufacturing technologies, improving yields, and increasing energy efficiency. This practical approach reduces development risks while ensuring that the company can launch new products at a reliable pace.
However, all this brings not only technical but also organizational changes. Samsung's semiconductor division is under increasing market and financial pressure, which could lead to internal reorganization. Moving the team responsible for designing Exynos chips to the mobile business unit, which is more directly involved with end products, could provide opportunities for stronger integration and more efficient management of developments.
Current developments clearly show that we cannot expect a spectacular technological leap in Exynos chips in the coming years. Samsung will not offer the kind of performance and energy efficiency gains that a new, smaller manufacturing technology could provide. Instead, progress will be gradual, exploiting the potential of existing technology.
The 1.4nm node is still part of the long-term plans, but as things stand, its reality will only be pushed back to the end of the next decade. Until then, the challenge for Samsung will be to keep up with the pace of its competitors while developing on a stable and reliable technological foundation.
