Samsung Foundry to Present Second-Gen 8LPU+ Platform at IEDM 2026

Samsung Foundry presented its second-generation 8LPU+ platform at IEDM 2026 on December 14, as part of an effort to extend its 8nm process technology.

According to the technical abstract submitted to IEDM 2026, the new platform delivers 12% higher performance, 15% lower power consumption and 8% smaller chip area compared with the previous 8LPU generation. It also uses ULL-SRAM and cHVT devices to reduce standby leakage.

Unlike leading-edge nodes that rely on EUV lithography, 8LPU+ takes an EUV-free approach and continues to use existing DUV production lines. Samsung said this can help avoid high EUV equipment costs and support lower-cost, faster ramp-up on mature process nodes.

The platform targets edge AI, robotics and automotive chips. Samsung said the 8LPU+ integrates native 3.3V planar I/O devices, which can reduce I/O area by about 10%. Its automotive grade 1 (AG1) eMRAM bit cell measures about 0.017 square micrometers, equivalent to roughly 20Mb of storage per square millimeter.