Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 could be manufactured by Samsung
According to a new report from Korea, Qualcomm is still negotiating with Samsung about Samsung’s involvement in the production of the upcoming Snapdragon flagship chips alongside TSMC. Qualcomm is expected to unveil the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro later this month. Numerous rumors previously indicated that TSMC would be the sole contract manufacturer.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Production Yield
According to a report today, Qualcomm remains open to a dual-source partnership with TSMC and Samsung. This is made possible by the recent improvement in Samsung’s 2nm yield, although it still lags behind TSMC’s. Samsung is said to have achieved a production yield of around 55%, while TSMC is at 60–70%. Qualcomm, however, apparently requires at least 70% for large-scale contract manufacturing.
Qualcomm and Samsung are reportedly in talks about “specifications, pricing and process optimization”, but it is still unclear what share Samsung would receive in the total production of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
On the other hand, there are concerns regarding TSMC’s production capacity. The Taiwanese company is aiming for 60,000 wafers per month by the fourth quarter of this year using a 2nm manufacturing process, but Apple has apparently already purchased more than half of that for its chips. Qualcomm could therefore have difficulty obtaining sufficient quantities from TSMC. Presumably, this is why the company is now in talks with Samsung – as a backup option, not necessarily as its primary supplier.
