TSMC, Samsung lead advanced chip packaging technology while Intel lags

TSMC is the semiconductor company with the world's largest portfolio of patents related to advanced chip packaging technology, followed by Samsung Electronics and Intel, according to data from analytics firm LexisNexis.

Advanced chip packaging is a key technology that helps extract maximum power from the latest microprocessor designs, making it essential for contract chipmakers to attract customers.

Also according to new data released in July 2023, in recent years TSMC and Samsung have recorded steady investment in advanced chip packaging technology, while US hardware giant Intel is falling behind.

As of now, the Taiwanese semiconductor company owns 2,946 patents related to packaging technology, and is also the best quality manufacturer - based on the number of times they are cited by other companies.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics firmly holds second place in both quantity and quality, with 2,404 patents. Intel comes in third with 1,434 patents.

“These are the leading companies, setting the standard for the entire industry,” said LexisNexis managing director Marco Richter.

Intel, Samsung, and TSMC have been investing in advanced packaging technology since around 2015, when all three began adding to their patent portfolios. They are also the only three names in the world that have or plan to build the most advanced and complex chip foundries.

Advanced packaging plays an important role in improving semiconductor design efficiency as packing more transistors onto silicon wafers becomes increasingly difficult.

Packaging technology allows manufacturers to assemble multiple chips together, known as “chiplets,” either stacked or adjacent to each other on the same surface area.

Chiplets are also the technology that helps AMD gain an advantage in the server race with Intel.

In December 2022, Samsung established a dedicated team for advanced packaging despite having invested in this technology for many years.

Meanwhile, Intel said that the number of patents in TSMC's portfolio does not mean that the company has superior packaging technology than other businesses.

(According to Reuters)

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