Report: Samsung partly responsible for ASML’s woes

Following delays at a fab in Taylor, Texas, Samsung has postponed taking delivery of ASML equipment, according to a Reuters report. Production at the US site was originally scheduled to commence this year, but in April, the electronics giant announced a two-year delay. The Korean firm is reportedly having yield issues and, possibly as a consequence, trouble with securing clients for its 3nm and 2nm process nodes.

The report lines up with last week’s comments from ASML, which said that “the competitive foundry dynamics have resulted in a slower ramp of new nodes at certain customers, leading to several fab pushouts and resulting changes in litho demand timing, in particular EUV.” This comment likely refers to Intel as well, which has yet to announce major customers for its foundry business other than its own Product unit.

Samsung told Reuters that there’s no change to its plan to start production at its Taylor fab in 2026. Analysts at Macquarie, however, see potential for further pushouts. “Without new volume clients, even the 2026 timetable looks challenging… We see a possibility of a further delay and an asset write-off.”

On the bright side, rumor has it that Nvidia may come to Samsung’s rescue. The fabless whose market capitalization has skyrocketed on the wings of AI’s near-vertical take-off is said to consider manufacturing a new generation of consumer GPU chips at the Korean firm. According to The Information, Nvidia is looking to reduce its dependence on TSMC and lower manufacturing bills.