Apple has been reported to secure more than half of TSMC’s 2nm N2 capacity, leaving competitors like Qualcomm and MediaTek scrambling for scraps. Fortunately, based on numerous rumors, both chipset manufacturers have found a solution, albeit an expensive one, and that is switching to the slightly improved 2nm N2P variant, allowing both companies’ SoCs to reach a higher CPU frequency while also having adequate supply to their names. Sadly, either Qualcomm or MediaTek has gotten cold feet, as one tipster reports that due to the high price of TSMC’s 2nm N2P wafers, one of these firms is considering switching to Samsung’s 2nm GAA process.

The likely candidate that could transition to Samsung’s 2nm GAA process is Qualcomm, as there have been countless occasions of the company wanting to adopt a dual-sourcing strategy to reduce manufacturing costs

This isn’t the first time that Qualcomm and MediaTek have been reported to consider a switch to Samsung’s 2nm GAA node because of TSMC’s expensive wafers, but a separate analysis has mentioned that the timing makes the transition next to impossible. However, industry watchers’ comments haven’t discouraged Qualcomm from exploring a partnership with Samsung, as the San Diego firm was previously sent Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 samples for evaluation on the 2nm GAA technology, and from the looks of it, both could form a future alliance.

On Weibo, Fixed-focus digital cameras states that a ‘certain tech giant’ is contemplating moving to Samsung’s 2nm GAA node, and seeing as how MediaTek has never ever been mentioned in earlier reports, our money is on Qualcomm. Additionally, the reason we don’t believe Apple is on the list is that the company has been reported to leverage the newer 2nm N2P process, and will instead stick with the 2nm N2 variant.

Comparing the estimated prices of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Dimensity 9500, MediaTek’s flagship SoC is said to cost 50 percent less than its competitor, meaning that Qualcomm’s partners are expected to pay as much as $280 per unit. Looking at this massive difference and considering that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro will only be reserved for the most premium of Android flagships due to its ridiculously high price, it makes complete sense for Qualcomm to explore a tag-team with Samsung. The only question is whether Qualcomm will go through with it.

By: DocMemory
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