Nintendo Switch 2 shortages to be addressed with more 8nm Nvidia chips made by Samsung

The Nintendo Switch 2 specs do include Samsung silicon, after all, as the Japanese console maker has reportedly turned to its foundry for extra 8nm chips.

Previously, it was rumored that Nintendo will launch a speedier Switch 2 model with a chipset made on Samsung's 5nm processor production node, akin to the current OLED display version available for $335 over at Amazon.

For the debut edition, however, Nintendo has apparently settled for Samsung's 8nm process as more mature and readily available. It is still a big enough performance jump from the 14nm off-the-shelf Tegra X1 in its predecessor, without venturing in the crowded space of the TSMC foundry's 7nm and below nodes.

While more advanced in terms of manufacturing prowess, TSMC has a lot more customers with deeper pockets such as Apple, Qualcomm, or Nvidia, so Nintendo would've had to wait and pay more than it would pay Samsung.

Nintendo already said that it won't be able to fulfil more Switch 2 preorders, as it got 2.2 million just in Japan for the local, cheaper version. It apologized to its fans and looked for ways to ramp up production by approaching Samsung for an increase in production of a custom chip developed by Nvidia.

Samsung's 8N production node is mature enough to secure up to 80% yield, removing the potential bottleneck that Nintendo would've experienced with a more advanced TSMC process. What's more, the Nvidia T239 chip that is reportedly powering the Switch 2 is based on its Ampere GPU architecture, which has been optimized for production in Samsung's foundries from the get-go.

The Switch 2 is a big win for Samsung, which has fallen behind TSMC in terms of production yield for the cutting edge nodes. It will also allow Nintendo to scale manufacturing much faster and at a more palatable cost.

After the Switch 2 announcement, Nintendo mentioned that it can only match the original Switch production rate of 15 million units by March 2026, nearly 2 million units shy of analysts' expectations. Even that humble production goal was contingent on the outcome of the tariff wars, as it warned this may force it to raise the console's price in the US. 

By securing more 8nm Samsung chips for the Switch 2, however, Nintendo is reportedly gunning for an increase in production to the tune of 20 million units, a big jump from its original 15 million forecast. This should help address the Nintendo Switch 2 shortages that seemed almost inevitable ahead of the June 5 release date in the US.