Samsung has started mass production of System-on-Chip (SoC) products built using 10-nanometer FinFET technology.
Compared to its 14nm predecessor, the 10nm FinFET process promises up to 30 percent increase in area efficiency with 27 percent higher performance or 40 percent lower power consumption, Samsung says.
Chips made from the new process will be used in digital services launching early next year, possibly the Galaxy S8. It will "meet the needs of a wide range of applications," the company says, and "become more widely available throughout 2017."
"The industry's first mass production of 10nm FinFET technology demonstrates our leadership in advanced process technology," said Jong Shik Yoon, executive vice president and head of foundry business at Samsung. "We will continue our efforts to innovate scaling technologies and provide differentiated total solutions to our customers."
Earlier this year, Samsung announced its first 14nm mobile application processor, less than a year after the first 20nm processors appeared.
Intel, meanwhile, introduced its first 14nm Broadwell parts in late 2014, four months before rolling out the 14nm "Broadwell" chips with vPro enhancements. It later unveiled its 14nm Xeon D family of microserver processors in March 2015.