Currently, Qualcomm uses TSMC to manufacture its high-end Snapdragon 8 chipsets. Along with seemingly everyone else. Apple, Google, and MediaTek also use TSMC to manufacture their chips. But Qualcomm might move back to Samsung next year for its 2nm node.
Samsung used to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 series until the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 launched, which is when Qualcomm moved over to TSMC. Qualcomm ditched Samsung over performance issues, which were so evident that consumers could tell the difference between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which were supposed to be mostly the same.
Now, as Samsung’s Foundry starts to ramp up its 2nm process, Qualcomm’s CEO Cristiano Amon has apparently arrived in South Korea to meet with Samsung and SK Hynix. Qualcomm and Samsung Foundry are discussing plans to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip using Samsung’s SF2, their 2nm process.
Interestingly, this is for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and not the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, which could remain with TSMC.
Samsung is Qualcomm’s biggest customer, and Qualcomm could become Samsung’s biggest customer
In terms of buying chips from Qualcomm, Samsung is still by far their biggest customer. Of course, that shouldn’t be a surprise given the fact that Samsung is the largest smartphone maker in the world. And now, Qualcomm could also become Samsung’s biggest customer if they return to Samsung Foundry. This shows just how much the two need each other, similar to how much Google and Samsung need each other.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 family should be announced later this year at Snapdragon Summit, and it’ll power the next crop of flagship smartphones from Samsung, Xiaomi, and others. Last year, Snapdragon Summit took place in September, and we’re expecting a similar time frame this year, though it could continue to move up and happen potentially in August.
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