Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is powering this year’s top Android flagships already, but the company could have plans to spread out production of future chips beyond TSMC.
According to a report from Korea’s ET News (via Android Police), Qualcomm has apparently approached Samsung Foundry to participate in developing 2nm processors alongside the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The processor in question is thought to be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which is expected to enter production in late 2025 and power devices in 2026.
Qualcomm will evaluate the companies’ yields and ultimately decide on who will produce what share of the chip. However, it’s possible that Qualcomm could use Samsung Foundry to produce the majority of the 8 Gen 5 orders for Samsung’s Galaxy devices, while TSMC will handle production for other phones.
If Qualcomm does go with a split production route, it will mark a significant shift for the company. Qualcomm last used Samsung Foundry for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in 2021. Since then, TSMC has handled production for Qualcomm’s flagship chip and will likely do so for next year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
However, TSMC is increasingly becoming the go-to for chip production (AMD uses TSMC for its processors, Apple has long used TSMC for chips in the iPhone, iPad, and now Mac, and Google reportedly plans to shift Tensor production from Samsung to TSMC in 2025). With more companies going to TSMC, Qualcomm could be leveraging Samsung Foundry as a hedge against possible disruptions.
Of course, we’re still years out from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and lots could happen before then. It remains to be seen how this all pans out and whether Samsung will get any of Qualcomm’s business.
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Source: ET News Via: Android Police
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