Following Intel's announcement last year of the industry's first glass substrate, competition in this field has suddenly heated up.
Glass substrates are seen as a way to break through the stagnation in semiconductor chip development as miniaturization progresses, and early commercialization of this technology is anticipated. Intel intends to roll out this technology in commercial products by 2030, but rival Samsung, in an effort to catch up, has been accelerating its own efforts, and it now appears that Samsung has further updated its schedule, potentially rolling out products using this technology ahead of Intel.
Equipment installation as early as September, pilot line launch in Q4
Samsung's moves have been quite swift. It has already begun research and development on glass substrates through its subsidiary Samsung Electro-Mechanics, launching investigations into potential use cases. According to a report by ETNews, Samsung has already moved up the procurement and installation of equipment for developing this new technology to September, and plans to launch a pilot line for next-generation packaging in Sejong, South Korea, in Q4.
Under the plan, production of glass substrates for high-end SiP (System in Package) applications is expected to begin as early as 2026.
Samsung appears to have finalized its supplier list for this project, selecting Philoptics, Chemtronics, Joongwoo M-Tech, and Germany's LPKF to supply components.
While Samsung's rapid moves are partly motivated by a desire to compete with Intel, they also appear to stem from an effort to close the gap with other competitors.
South Korean rival SK Group is reportedly already planning to bring a prototype factory into full operation in Georgia, USA, as early as Q2 through its subsidiary Absolics. By the time Samsung launches its pilot line, competitors will already be moving into small-scale production—a fact some see as having spurred Samsung into action.
Glass substrates hold significant potential for advancing transistor miniaturization in semiconductor packaging. Intel predicts that because organic substrates consume more power and are prone to shrinkage and warping, the semiconductor industry will hit a wall in miniaturizing transistors in silicon packages using organic substrates by 2030.
In contrast, glass's ultra-low flatness allows components to be placed closer together, and its superior thermal and mechanical stability can significantly increase wiring density within the substrate by up to 10 times. These advantages will enable chip designers to create high-density, high-performance chip packages suited to data-intensive tasks such as artificial intelligence.
Regarding this glass substrate technology, Apple has reportedly already been exploring its adoption, and is said to be in discussions with various suppliers, including Samsung, to develop a strategy for integrating glass substrates into electronic devices.
That said, it has also been pointed out that many challenges remain before this technology can be put into practical use. As Rahul Manepalli, Intel Fellow and Director of Substrate TD Module Engineering, explains, these include the fragility of glass itself, poor adhesion with metal wires, and the difficulty of achieving uniform via filling, which is essential for stable electrical performance.
Nevertheless, there is growing optimism about resolving these challenges. The global glass substrate market is projected to reach $2.3 billion this year, with a steady compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% from 2024 to 2034, reaching an expected $4.2 billion by 2034.
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