Google is scheduled to announce its flagship Pixel 10 series later this year, and it will be the first time that the company’s Tensor G5 chipset fueling the entire family will be mass produced by TSMC instead of Samsung, with the advertising behemoth leveraging the second-generation 3nm ‘N3E’ node and InFO-POP packaging. As you would expect, the Korean titan did not receive the news well, and according to the latest report, Samsung is now ‘intensively analyzing’ why Google has made the switch, likely not realizing that the company’s own incessant setbacks are the reason for losing yet another customer.
Some progress has been made with Samsung’s 2nm GAA technology, but with TSMC’s reliability in producing wafers at a higher yield, Google chose the safer path for its Tensor G5
Extensive details published by The Bell that were spotted by the tipster @Jukanlosreve talk about Samsung’s Device Solutions division holding a global strategic meeting, with one of the key topics discussed being how to strengthen its foundry capabilities. It is not a well-kept secret that Samsung’s semiconductor business has been struggling, but losing Google as a customer dealt a significant blow, forcing the firm to get to the bottom of how this happened, though the reasons are present in black and white.
Google executives had recently visited Taiwan to secure a deal with TSMC to exclusively manufacture Tensor chipsets all the way up to the Pixel 14 launch, which is equivalent to five years. As for Samsung, it failed to bring up yields of its 3nm GAA node, but it has made decent progress with the 2nm GAA technology, as the Exynos 2600 prototype’s mass production was said to have started earlier this month. Samsung’s primary focus is to increase yields to 50 percent, then gradually bump up that figure.
These efforts should instill some confidence in the company’s former customers that it can compete with TSMC, but given Samsung’s past, companies like Google and Qualcomm will be rigorously testing its chipsets before they begin placing orders and introduce a dual-sourcing approach. An industry source has also said that there are complex problems that Samsung’s foundry sector cannot overcome, with many discussions and concerns happening internally.
Google might have placed Tensor G5 orders with TSMC, but it continues to rely on Samsung for other components. Previously, we reported that the Pixel 10 lineup will continue to use Exynos 5G modems instead of making the transition to MediaTek’s solutions, but in the distant future, Samsung can appease its former client with its newer lithography and bring Google back to the table. Only time will tell how all of these events will play out.
News Source: The Bell
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