Samsung asks TSMC to manufacture Exynos, gets rejected
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Samsung Foundry had a year full of ups and downs during 2024 and because of this the company had to abandon Exynos on Galaxy S25. There were rumors that Samsung had been holding internal talks about outsourcing Exynos production to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) for the time being. Apparently not only did this happen but TSMC has actually rejected the offer.
Samsung Foundry is still working on its plans for 2 nm and even 1.4 nm chips. The Exynos deal with TSMC was likely a short-term solution until the foundry’s own manufacturing processes were perfected. Though TSMC’s rejection will set Samsung back a few steps it won’t stop the company from implementing Exynos in its phones altogether.
Much like Apple silicon, Galaxy phones powered by Samsung’s own in-house Exynos chips could surpass the competition handsomely if said chipsets are properly optimized. The Galaxy phones are already some of the best phones in the world and TSMC’s rejection isn’t going to change that.
Update: TSMC has rejected the deal. There will be no Exynos made by TSMC. https://t.co/x5zlcPBOlp
— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) January 15, 2025
As of now there aren’t many details available on why TSMC rejected the Exynos deal. I would’ve thought this would be an excellent opportunity for TSMC to gain some more clout in the industry. Insider Jukanlosreve reckons TSMC might have rejected Samsung’s proposition because the company wants to protect its internal workings from a rival company.
For now all three Galaxy S25 phones will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. If Samsung has to use the 8 Elite Gen 2 next year then it will be forced to make its phones more expensive because Qualcomm is reportedly planning a significant price hike.
During 2024 a big issue that Samsung Foundry faced was poor yield rates for 3 nm chip production. The company recently revealed that its 3 nm process has finally been stabilized. While its latest chipset missed out on debuting on the Galaxy S25 lineup it’s believed that this Exynos 2500 will now power upcoming Z series phones.
The Z series phones have seen less than stellar sales. | Video credit — Samsung
Samsung Foundry is still working on its plans for 2 nm and even 1.4 nm chips. The Exynos deal with TSMC was likely a short-term solution until the foundry’s own manufacturing processes were perfected. Though TSMC’s rejection will set Samsung back a few steps it won’t stop the company from implementing Exynos in its phones altogether.
Much like Apple silicon, Galaxy phones powered by Samsung’s own in-house Exynos chips could surpass the competition handsomely if said chipsets are properly optimized. The Galaxy phones are already some of the best phones in the world and TSMC’s rejection isn’t going to change that.
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