Sketchy rumour alleges future Exynos chip could be manufactured by TSMC

Recent reports from South Korean media suggest Samsung's Foundry business isn't doing to well. It allegedly shuttered portions of its previous-gen nodes due to poor demand. Even its cutting-edge 3GAP node suffer from low yields of 20%. As a result, Samsung may have to look at other avenues for high-end Exynos chips. X leaker @Jukanlosreve says Samsung may be forced to ask its biggest rival: TSMC.

Unfortunately, that's about all we know for now, but if the collaboration does happen, it'll be a while. The 2025-bound Exynos 2500 has already taped out, with some pre-production samples already showing up in the wild. That leaves us with its successor, the Exynos 2600 (codenamed Thetis), which has also entered development. Whether or not it will use Samsung's 2 nm SF2 node remains to be seen.

Of course, there's a high likelihood that the above rumour is pure fluff. But, given the state of Samsung Foundry, it doesn't seem entirely implausible. It is unlikely to happen in the near future when Samsung Foundry is still a part of Samsung Electronics due to conflicts of interest. However, the equation could change if and when it is spun-off into a new business.