Thanks to TSMC’s yields and advancements in the semiconductor space, many companies have turned to them for their semiconductor needs. This includes Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and NVIDIA, just to name a few. However, Samsung thinks it can catch up. Speaking at the Korea Premium Week 2026, Samsung SVP Noh Mi-jung believes Samsung can quadruple its foundry customers by 2029.
Samsung thinks it can boost its foundry customersÂ
According to Noh, Samsung foundry customers have already tripled since the business became its own unit in 2017. She expects that number to reach roughly four times the 2017 level by 2029. Although what exactly are those figures is anyone’s guess. But still, it shows that Samsung is optimistic about its foundry’s future.
The company also wants to change what it builds. Today, the foundry leans heavily on mobile chips. Samsung plans to shift toward AI and high-performance computing instead. That category made up 5% of the business in 2017 and sits at 28% now. Noh expects it to hit 66% by 2029. That would be a similar playbook we’re seeing from TSMC. It’s also something Samsung’s memory division is doing by switching up its focus towards memory designed for AI.
Samsung says it will start mass production of its third-generation 2nm process in 2028. Its 1.4nm process will follow in 2029.
Is this realistic?Â
According to Counterpoint’s Q2 2026 data, TSMC holds 42% of the global foundry market. Samsung sits in second place, but with only 4%. Growing Samsung foundry customers from that spot won’t be easy.
Yields are another problem. Qualcomm left Samsung in 2022 after poor yields on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Reports say Samsung’s 2nm yield has since improved, with one recent report putting it near 60%, up from the mid-50% range.
Then there’s also an awkward part. Samsung makes chips for its own products too. Some customers might not want to hand their designs to a company that competes with them.
But Samsung just got a recent vote of confidence. Qualcomm confirmed at Snapdragon Summit that it’s evaluating Samsung’s 2nm process for future chips. This could result in other companies seeing it as a sign and hop on board the bandwagon.
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