Samsung could be preparing a major shift in its chip strategy with a future Exynos processor. According to recent leaks, the company is exploring fully custom CPU and GPU designs for the Exynos 2800, marking a possible return to in-house core development after several years of relying on external partners.
The information comes from Weibo tipster Smart Chip Guide. If accurate, the Exynos 2800 would move away from standard ARM CPU cores and also end Samsung’s use of AMD’s RDNA-based GPUs, which have powered flagship Exynos chips since 2022.
This wouldn’t be Samsung’s first attempt at custom CPUs. Between 2016 and 2020, the company developed its own “Mongoose” cores, designed by its Austin-based team. While those chips showed strong peak performance, they struggled with efficiency and heat management, often falling behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips in real-world use. Samsung eventually shut down the project and returned to off-the-shelf ARM designs.
The new effort suggests Samsung believes the timing is better this time. Advances in manufacturing, including its upcoming 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process, could help address earlier efficiency issues. Developing a custom GPU could also give Samsung more control over AI processing and system-level optimizations across Galaxy devices.
The Exynos 2800 is rumored to debut in the Galaxy S28 series in 2028, leaving Samsung several years to refine the architecture. Before that, the Exynos 2600—expected in the Galaxy S26 lineup—may be the final Exynos chip to use AMD’s RDNA graphics, even though Samsung reportedly handles most of the GPU implementation itself.
If this plan moves forward, it would signal Samsung’s intent to compete more directly with Apple’s tightly integrated silicon strategy. Whether it succeeds, however, remains an open question—especially given the mixed legacy of its earlier custom designs.
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