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TSMC reportedly rejected offer to manufacture Exynos chips

TSMC will not be manufacturing high-end chips for Samsung in the immediate future (image source: TSMC)
TSMC will not be manufacturing high-end chips for Samsung in the immediate future (image source: TSMC)
Previously, it was rumoured Samsung wanted to mirror Intel's strategy and use TSMC as a stop-gap solution for its Exynos chips. That won't happen now because the Taiwanese chipmaker has apparently rejected the deal.

An earlier rumour from a reputable source said Samsung was planning to approach TSMC for some of its future chip needs, presumably due to less-than-ideal yields on its second-gen 3 nm node. The same source now reports TSMC has refused to work with Samsung Electronics.

Given this endeavour was never public, there's no way to know the reason for TSMC's refusal- or if such a meeting even happened to begin with. Still, it makes sense for TSMC to refuse what would, under different circumstances, be a lucrative contract from one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers.

It probably wanted to shield its PDKs from its main competitor in the foundry market. Or, it might not have the capacity to onboard a company of Samsung's size, especially on its newer, cutting-edge nodes, most of which have likely been booked by the likes of Apple and Intel. Either way, it is abundantly clear that Samsung will have to get its foundry business in order if it wants to continue making Exynos chips.

Despite initial setbacks, the Exynos 2500 is slated to debut later this year alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Its successor, the Exynos 2600, is also under development, but there's no telling when it will see the light of day. If Samsung's 2 nm node moves along as scheduled, we might see it power some Galaxy S26 variants next year.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2025 01 > TSMC reportedly rejected offer to manufacture Exynos chips
Anil Ganti, 2025-01-15 (Update: 2025-01-16)