Samsung Foundry has reversed its fortunes as its utilization rate surged to 80% this quarter, a dramatic improvement from previous years. The Pyeongtaek Campus P2 and P3 facilities now consistently produce silicon at 4nm, 5nm, and 7nm nodes, moving beyond the 50% booking rate they achieved last year. This turnaround comes after Samsung lost ground to competitors like TSMC in node adoption and customer acquisition.

The foundry revival stems from strong demand for Samsung's 6th-generation HBM4, which uses a 4nm custom base die offering higher design density than competitors' older node solutions. This technical advantage enables ASIC makers to implement additional data processing logic that accelerates AI workloads. External customers now prioritize Samsung's foundry capabilities, keeping production lines running near maximum capacity.

While the industry shifts toward sub-3nm production for leading-edge applications, Samsung's mature node technology has found renewed relevance. The company's improved foundry performance demonstrates how specialized products can drive high utilization even in supposedly outdated processes. Samsung's Pyeongtaek Campus facilities exemplify this successful strategic pivot in competitive semiconductor manufacturing.