Qualcomm’s long partnership with TSMC appears steady for now, yet whispers from Korea hint at a quiet reshuffle. Reports indicate Samsung Foundry may soon regain part of the Snapdragon production business, marking a partial return to its once-lost client.
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- Samsung Foundry may regain part of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon production, marking a quiet comeback.
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 stays with TSMC, but a special Galaxy version could shift to Samsung’s 2nm GAA process.
- Samsung might debut its custom Snapdragon chip in 2026 foldables instead of the Galaxy S26 lineup.
- Samsung plans to keep using Exynos chips alongside Snapdragon, maintaining its dual-chip strategy.
- A Samsung-Qualcomm revival could rebuild Samsung Foundry’s reputation and strengthen Qualcomm’s supply flexibility.
Qualcomm’s long partnership with TSMC appears steady for now, yet whispers from Korea hint at a quiet reshuffle. Reports indicate Samsung Foundry may soon regain part of the Snapdragon production business, marking a partial return to its once-lost client.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 — revealed toward the end of September — remains a TSMC product, crafted using its 3nm architecture. However, Samsung is reportedly preparing a separate edition exclusively made for Galaxy devices, reviving its custom-tuned processor tradition that distinguishes Samsung’s flagships from others in the Android landscape.
Sources suggest that the ‘for Galaxy’ version will not simply be a boosted reconfiguration of the regular chip. Instead, the project may migrate to Samsung’s advanced 2nm GAA node, signaling a serious attempt to prove its foundry’s maturity and competitiveness after years of mixed performance records.
While Qualcomm has publicly confirmed its ongoing work with Samsung on next-generation smartphone hardware, the precise deployment timeline remains uncertain. Early speculation tied the chip to the Galaxy S26 family, yet the latest details indicate its first appearance could actually happen in Samsung’s 2026 foldable devices rather than its mainline flagships.
This development could also clarify Samsung’s broader chipset strategy. The company is expected to continue pushing its in-house Exynos 2600 platform for the Galaxy S lineup, keeping the dual-chip approach alive for another cycle. The resulting product mix points to a carefully balanced strategy between performance goals and supply chain resilience, hinting at a more flexible design era ahead.
If these reports prove accurate, Samsung would effectively reenter Qualcomm’s high-end production chain after years of exclusion. The move might help restore the company’s foundry reputation — one that was bruised during the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s low yield period — while also diversifying Qualcomm’s sourcing options in the evolving semiconductor market.