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Qualcomm’s next flagship chip could end up coming from two different factories. That’s the latest twist in the ongoing scramble for advanced manufacturing capacity.
After years of relying exclusively on TSMC for its top-tier Snapdragon chips (they made the switch in 2022 after some yield and heat issues with Samsung), Qualcomm is reportedly talking seriously with Samsung again about using its 2nm process for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series.
Samsung’s 2nm gate-all-around tech has apparently improved a lot. Yields that were stuck under 50% earlier this year have climbed past 70%. TSMC’s yields on the same node are still better (in the 80–90% range), but the gap has narrowed enough to reopen the conversation.
What’s being discussed is a dual-foundry setup. The absolute highest-end “Extreme” versions would probably stay with TSMC, while more standard configurations could shift over to Samsung. The main reason? TSMC is running out of room.
They’re aiming for roughly 60,000 wafers a month of 2nm by the end of 2026, but Apple has already locked up at least half of that for the A20 Pro and M6. Add in big customers like Nvidia and AMD locking down 3nm capacity through 2027, and suddenly a second supplier starts looking pretty attractive.
The sticking point, as usual, is money. Qualcomm wants better pricing. Samsung, fresh off wins with Tesla and Broadcom, isn’t in a rush to discount, especially for what would start as relatively modest volumes. They’ve already raised prices on older nodes by 10–15% in the past.
CEO Cristiano Amon’s recent meetings in South Korea suggest this isn’t just casual exploration. With advanced-node costs climbing, geopolitical risks hanging over the supply chain, and capacity getting tighter every year, spreading production across two foundries makes a lot of strategic sense.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit is coming up September 22–24 in Hawaii, where the 8 Elite Gen 6 is expected to make its debut. Whether they’ll say anything concrete about manufacturing partners remains to be seen. Neither company is commenting publicly right now. For the moment, it all comes down to whether they can agree on price and performance guarantees.
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