November 4, 2026 / SemiMedia / — Samsung Electronics has reportedly told customers it plans to end all 8 inch wafer foundry production by the end of 2030, setting a timetable for withdrawing from the business. The Elec reported the customer notifications, citing industry sources.

The company intends to redirect personnel and equipment investment toward advanced processes on 12 inch wafers. Samsung had previously outlined a gradual reduction in 8 inch operations, rather than a complete shutdown date.

The reported change extends beyond the earlier plan to close the S7 fab at Giheung in 2026 while retaining S6 and S8. Samsung also stopped accepting orders for new 8 inch products this year, according to the report.

Its mature process portfolio spans 65nm to 180nm and serves products including display driver ICs, power management ICs, microcontrollers and image sensors.

Customers now face the task of qualifying alternative production. South Korea’s DB HiTek and SK keyfoundry already have substantial capacity allocated to existing customers, limiting their ability to absorb transferred orders.

Moving existing designs to a different process, including a 12 inch platform, can require design changes and renewed performance and reliability validation. The reported deadline gives customers several years to prepare, but securing compatible capacity remains a challenge.

Samsung has not publicly confirmed the end of 2030 shutdown timetable.