Qualcomm could be preparing to use Samsung alongside TSMC to make its next flagship Snapdragon chip, according to a new report. The two companies are reportedly still discussing a dual-source arrangement for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.
That would be a change from previous reports suggesting TSMC would be the sole manufacturer. Qualcomm is expected to announce the two chips later this month, but it’s apparently keeping its options open as it works out how much production capacity it can secure.
Samsung’s improved 2nm manufacturing yields are said to be behind the renewed discussions. The company has reportedly reached around 55% yield, compared with approximately 60-70% for TSMC. However, that’s still below Qualcomm’s alleged requirement of around 70% for large-scale contract manufacturing.
The companies are reportedly discussing specifications, pricing and process optimisation, although there’s no word yet on how much of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 production Samsung could actually handle.
There may be a practical reason for Qualcomm to keep Samsung in the conversation. TSMC is targeting 60,000 wafers per month of 2nm production capacity by the fourth quarter of this year, but Apple has reportedly already secured more than half of that capacity for its own chips.
That could make it harder for Qualcomm to get all the 2nm production it needs from TSMC alone. Bringing Samsung into the picture would give it another manufacturing option and could help ease some of that capacity pressure.
It’s worth stressing that Samsung’s involvement isn’t confirmed yet, and the current discussions don’t necessarily mean it would become a major supplier. Based on the report, Samsung appears to be more of a potential backup to TSMC than a replacement for it.
Still, the possibility is interesting for Qualcomm’s next flagship chips. If Samsung’s 2nm yields continue to improve and the companies can agree on the technical and commercial details, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 could end up being produced across two major foundries rather than relying entirely on TSMC.
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