Qualcomm Inc. is reportedly selecting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. as the sole supplier for its upcoming mid-range smartphone processor, bypassing Samsung Electronics despite the Korean company’s recent advancements in 4-nanometer chip production.
The new chipset, rumored to be named Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, will sit below Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite in its product lineup. Unlike the flagship model, which uses Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores, the new processor will utilize off-the-shelf components including a 3.21GHz Cortex-X4 prime core alongside multiple Cortex-A720 cores at varying clock speeds.
Samsung began mass production on its first-generation 4nm process back in 2021, supplying chips for the Exynos 2200, Google Tensor, and previously for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The company recently started manufacturing its fourth-generation 4nm chips supporting advanced packaging technologies.
Industry observers note this decision may reflect lingering concerns about Samsung’s manufacturing capabilities following challenges with its 3nm process. Despite Samsung’s claims of yield improvements to match TSMC’s performance and its push to secure more orders for legacy processes, major clients appear reluctant to shift away from the Taiwanese manufacturer.
The development represents another setback for Samsung as it attempts to narrow the gap with TSMC in the advanced semiconductor manufacturing market.
