Qualcomm Chooses TSMC over Samsung for Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 3nm N3E Production

As part of its strategy to work with as many contract chip manufacturers as possible, Qualcomm anticipates receiving its 3nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 mobile processors from TSMC in addition to Samsung. In actuality, though, we were forced to temporarily block its services, so TSMC will be the sole company making Qualcomm 3nm chips going forward. In the semiconductor foundry industry, TSMC and Samsung are major competitors. Earlier market sources stated that TSMC and Samsung may jointly manufacture Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 mobile chip, utilizing a dual-foundry approach.

In late June of last year, Samsung started to employ the novel GAA design for transistor technology for the first time when it started mass producing its first-generation 3nm GAA (SF3E) process. Relying on the basis of the first-generation 3nm SF3E, the second-generation 3nm process, 3GAP (SF3), will optimize the second-generation MBCFET design. 2024 is when mass manufacturing is anticipated to begin. Rumor had it that Qualcomm planned to use a dual-sourcing approach, utilizing TSMC’s and Samsung’s 3nm technologies to create the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 in large quantities.

This would assist in reducing the chipset’s manufacturing costs. Qualcomm only has one supplier as a result of their initiatives’ unfortunate failure to come to fruition. Since Qualcomm wanted to be the first company to use the 3GAP process, the company initially planned to begin dual-foundry production with both TSMC and Samsung in 2024. But in light of yield volatility and Samsung’s cautious projection for 3nm manufacturing capacity for the upcoming year, Qualcomm made the decision to abandon the plan and depend only on TSMC, delaying the dual-foundry approach until 2025.

TSMC is expected to raise its monthly production capacity to 100,000 wafers by the end of 2024, and its revenue contribution will rise from the current 5% to 10%. The company’s 3nm process technology capacity is rapidly increasing.

Thanks to “Trend Force & Wccftech“