TSMC has left all different foundries within the mud, together with Samsung, and has established a fortified place the place it has secured the highest chipset producers by offering them entry to cutting-edge lithography. It seems that for the following two generations, Qualcomm may need little alternative however to position orders completely with the Taiwanese semiconductor big for its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3. The newest rumor just about implies that Samsung is out of the image, and whereas that ensures that Qualcomm will leverage the very best expertise, it should come at a worth.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 won’t change to 2nm subsequent 12 months, as Qualcomm will transition to TSMC’s next-generation node for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3
The tipster Digital Chat Station has reiterated on Weibo that for 2025 and 2026, when Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, respectively, the San Diego agency will reap the benefits of TSMC’s manufacturing processes. Next 12 months, we must always see the chipset maker introduce the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 on the 3nm ‘N3P’ variant, which ought to usher in varied enhancements over the present N3E. The solely drawback is that sticking with one provider will shoot up the value of the wafers.
Recently, we reported that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 launching late subsequent 12 months shall be much more costly than the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and although an estimated determine was not talked about, these are the pitfalls whenever you depend on one firm that truly occurs to ship a cutting-edge structure. The solely different possibility for Qualcomm is to ally itself with Samsung to cut back its chipset prices. The drawback right here is that the Korean foundry is dealing with immense problem in bettering its 3nm GAA yields, in any other case a dual-sourcing strategy would all the time be on the playing cards.
As for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, the tipster says that it’s going to possible be the primary time that Qualcomm will change to TSMC’s 2nm course of, assuming the corporate has a secure yield depend. Even Apple, which has a behavior of desirous to have a lead in opposition to the competitors, will not be anticipated to transition to 2nm chipsets till 2026 because of the insanely excessive wafer prices, so it seems that Qualcomm is retaining tempo with its rival. Bear in thoughts that Digital Chat Station doesn’t have the most effective monitor report on the market, so it’s best to deal with this rumor with a pinch of salt till we have now extra concrete proof.
News Source: Digital Chat Station
