Samsung is the first with a prototype 3nm design using GAAFET tech

Samsung has kicked off the new decade in a big way, with the South Korean giant making major progress in its pursuits to become the #1 semiconductor manufacturer by 2030. Samsung has just made a prototype 3nm process using GAAFET technology.

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Gate All Around (GAAFET) technology is different to the widely-used and known FinFET standard, with GAAFET seeing a reduction in the total silicon size by around 35%, while consuming 50% less power. This blend can see a 33% performance increase over the still-yet-released 5nm FinFET process.

The design of GAAFET is much different to Planar FET and FinFET designs, with 4 Gates on channel compared to just 1 Gate and 3 Gates, respectively. This means power leakage is kept to a minimum, with control over the channel improved the shrinking of the node process becomes easier. This paves the way for more efficient transistor design, even at its teeny-tiny size -- ushering in a huge performance-per-watt jump over the 5nm FinFET process.

Samsung began its work on the 3nm FAAFET process over a year ago, with mass production expected in 2021.