The news that has been rumored for a while is that Qualcomm is using Samsung 3nm process instead of TSMC for their Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Though its predecessor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still in the queue, the hype for the 8 Gen 4 is already started building. But the leaks are coming from reliable sources. So we can’t ignore them. Instead, let’s see why Qualcomm needs to use Samsung’s manufacturing process instead of the dependable TSMC.
Qualcomm isn’t the only company making chipsets from TSMC. Apple is a customer of TSMC for making their own chipsets including Bionic and Apple’s M series chipsets. Apple has already started working on their next generation Bionic A17 chipset. Not only begin to develop, but they have also placed orders to TSMC for manufacturing their future M3 series chipsets and Bionic A17 as well.
According to the latest reports, the ordered units of Apple’s A17 and M3 series will use 85% of the 3nm production capacity of TSMC. So the rest 25% won’t be enough for Qualcomm to mass produce the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. This is the reason why Qualcomm needs to use Samsung’s controversial manufacturing process. But what about Samsung’s 3nm process?
Some rumors suggest that Samsung’s 3nm GAA process has also improved a lot. Qualcomm already received some samples of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 produced using Samsung’s 3nm process. The sample units were reported to perform well.
Another news that was rumored previously is that Qualcomm will use their self-developed Nuvia architecture in Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Though there’s no new update on it. But I hope we will get a piece of news on that soon.
Rashidul Hasan, the founder and CEO of AndroidStory, is very passionate about technology.