New report contradicts previous rumor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC to be built by TSMC only،
After losing the task of building the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset to TSMC in 2022 due to its low rate of return, Samsung Foundry improved its performance so much that last April, a report indicated that Qualcomm would consider using both TSMC and Samsung Foundry to double down. -source the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC for next year. But in August, a tipster said that all Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 application processors (APs) would be produced by
Samsung Foundry using its more advanced 3nm Gate All-Around (GAA) process node.
Unlike TSMC’s FinFET transistors used with its 3nm process node, the GAA transistors used by Samsung include vertically placed horizontal nanosheets that allow the gate to surround the channel on all four sides (there are only three sides with FinFET). This helps reduce current leakage and increases drive current, resulting in higher-performance chips that consume less power. TSMC won’t move to GAA transistors until it starts producing 2nm chips.
Today we have a new rumor to spread. To recap, so far we have heard that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC will be dual-sourced. Then we learned that Samsung Foundry would get the job. Now Taiwan
Technology News (via
AndroidAuthority) indicates that TSMC will get the green light from Qualcomm to be the sole manufacturer of its next flagship hotspot, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Apparently, the chip will be produced using TSMC’s 3nm process node.
Qualcomm still mulling dual-source its flagship hotspot, but not until 2025
San Diego-based Qualcomm has a lot going for it on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset. It will be the first to sport Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores, so you know there will be plenty of eyeballs watching the Geekbench results to see how the AP performs, regardless of which foundry the component comes from.
For you dual sourcing fans (and us know you’re out there… somewhere), the good news is that Qualcomm hasn’t given up on asking TSMC and Samsung Foundry to build its flagship hotspot. Tech News claims that dual sourcing has simply been pushed back to 2025 for production of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 AP.
If you’re wondering if dual sourcing has ever been used to produce chipsets for a major smartphone, in 2015 Apple obtained the A9 SoC from TSMC and Samsung for the
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus . The chip was manufactured by Samsung Foundry using its 14nm FinFET LPE process and by TSMC with its 16nm FinFET process.
