Samsung Ramps Up 14nm LPP Production

With their 14nm LPE (Low Power Early) process behind them, Samsung has moved on and started mass production for their new 14nm LPP (Low Power Performance) process. This is very important for the PC market as AMD is slated to use the 14nm LPP process from Samsung/GlobalFoundries for their upcoming Zen CPUs and Polaris GPUs. A ramp up now means that any major issues with 14nm LPP have been fixed and chips can start being produced.

Unlike the earlier LPE process, LPP is meant for higher power parts that clock faster, perfect for use with CPUs and GPUs. While AMD has not confirmed if they will be using Samsung or GlobalFoundries, this time around, the tight partnership between the two fabs means that a successful ramp for one is a success for the other partner. So even if Samsung is focused on producing their own mobile chips, GlobalFoundries is probably ready for Zen and Polaris.

Once Zen and Polaris production starts up, it will take around six to eight months for products to become available to us. This fits right into the timeline for when Zen and Polaris will launch in 2H 2016. Keep in mind that since Polaris will also use TSMC’s 16nm process, Polaris could arrive before Zen. With 14nm LPP on-track and Polaris and Zen taped out, it is only a matter of time before we see AMD launch their new lineup.