Samsung Electronics to Exit 8-Inch Foundry Business by 2030

What happened

According to industry sources on Nov. 2, Samsung Electronics recently informed its 8-inch foundry customers that it plans to shut down all related production lines by the end of 2030 and has notified customers of its plan to completely exit the 8-inch wafer foundry business; the company had previously said only that it would gradually scale down its 8-inch lines, and this is the first time it has specified a deadline for ending operations. Samsung plans to concentrate its workforce and equipment investments on advanced manufacturing processes using 12-inch wafers. Timeline: in early 2026, Samsung decided to close only S7 among its three 8-inch fabs in Giheung — S6, S7 and S8 — by the end of 2026, keeping the other two operational; during its first-quarter earnings call in April 2026, Kang Seok-chae, vice president of the Foundry Business, said Samsung would sequentially shut down its 8-inch lines for power semiconductors, display driver ICs (DDIs) and image sensors; Samsung Foundry also stopped accepting orders for new 8-inch products in 2026. Samsung's 8-inch operations use mature 65nm, 70nm, 90nm, 130nm and 180nm nodes to make DDIs, PMICs, MCUs and image sensors. Identified South Korean customers — Imagis, ABOV Semiconductor, Dongwoon Anatech, Silicon Mitus and LX Semicon — must transfer production or secure alternative processes before the shutdown. Alternatives are constrained: DB HiTek and SK Keyfoundry, the major Korean 8-inch operators, have substantial volumes already allocated; moving to 12-inch processes could raise manufacturing costs and require redesign and requalification, with analog chips' high-voltage requirements especially hard to migrate; Taiwan has little spare 8-inch capacity, and outsourcing to Chinese foundries could face end-customer restrictions. Some fabless firms are stockpiling in advance, incurring extra capital and storage costs. Industry participants are calling for Samsung to delay the closure and say government intervention may be necessary. Event status is planned; a capacity shutdown plan warrants a watch signal.

Impact and signal

Affected components and suppliers

Source and time

Source: The Elec · 11/2/2026 · View original source