Samsung just can't make enough Exynos 2500 for Galaxy S25 use
Samsung is reportedly stuck at the unfortunate 20% yield level of the 3nm production node that it is making its Exynos 2500 chipset with. Samsung's foundry hasn't yet cracked the code of the second-gen 3nm process that modern high-end mobile chipsets are made with, so it is very unlikely that the Exynos 2500 will make it into the Galaxy S25 series at all.
Samsung reportedly gave itself a few more weeks to decide whether it will split the S25 processing power between Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) processor and its homebrew Exynos 2500, but things might not be going very well for the Exynos.
According to local Korean media Sisa, the Samsung foundry has to discard the vast majority of 3nm production it tries, and is only able to turn 20% of the wafers used into chips with the necessary quality to go into retail electronics like Galaxy phones.
Currently, Samsung is able to hit 60% yield of the first-gen 3nm GAA process that the Exynos 2400 in the Galaxy S24 is made on, but the second generation is in the 20% yield range which is not only insufficient to score big foundry customers like Qualcomm or Nvidia, but also not enough for its own phones that will sell in the millions.
In short, Samsung's foundry business is in crisis and personnel changes are coming, claims the report. While this is not necessarily bad news for those global Galaxy S-line fans who prefer Snapdragon chipsets that run faster and cooler, it is bad news for Samsung as Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) chipset will be the most expensive component in the Galaxy S25, costing north of $200 apiece.
That is why Samsung also considered MediaTek for its Galaxy S25 series processor needs, but the new Dimensity 9400 chip might not offer enough yield to cover the desired quantities as well as the needs of everyone else that is in the queue for that flagship processor, too. It will eventually power the Galaxy S25 FE when it appears next fall, though.
Samsung has apologized for the dismal state of its LSI chip division affairs, but it remains to be seen if the changes it pledged will suffice to wiggle the Exynos 2500 into the Galaxy S25 series processor supply chain. With 20% yield, that looks increasingly unlikely.
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