Samsung will primarily use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 application processor in its upcoming Galaxy S23 series of smartphones.
Samsung’s own Exynos platform may later be used mainly for mid-range smartphones, rather than flagship models, sources said.
Samsung has tried to expand its market share by using Exynos platforms made at 5nm and 4nm, but so far, the 4nm versions have had very low yields and their performance and heat issues have not been up to par, the sources said. For this reason, the company’s chip design arm Samsung Systems LSI is planning to produce its next-generation Exynos series, possibly named Exynos 2300, using a 5-nanometer node, the sources added.
However, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 processor is already being manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm node, which means that its overall performance will be better compared to the 5nm Exynos 2300. For this reason, the sources said, Samsung MX was forced to choose Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as the main processor for the S23 series.
It’s worth noting that the Exynos version of the Samsung Galaxy S22 had the infamous Game Optimization Service (GOS) issue, where Samsung was found to have deliberately limited the processor’s performance to avoid overheating and other issues.
Another group of sources told TheElec that Samsung may have devoted few resources to the development of the 4nm node, as it is considered a bridge between 5nm and 3nm. But they added that customer acceptance and demand for 4 nanometer is higher than expected.
Samsung chip boss Kyung Kye-hyun admitted in September that the company was behind in both 5nm and 4nm node progress and yields compared to rival TSMC.
Samsung Systems LSI recently reorganized some of its teams, with SoC development handled by an AP development team and a communications processor development team or CP development team. the AP development team develops computing and artificial intelligence chips, while the CP development team develops communications-related IP. the CP team was spun off from the AP development team because Samsung wanted to increase its expertise in modem-related technologies. The CP team was spun off from the AP development team as Samsung wanted to increase its expertise in modem-related technologies. Meanwhile, Samsung Foundry, Samsung’s contract chip manufacturing division, is also expected to undergo some overhaul. The division underwent a business review by Samsung’s leadership earlier this year, their first since 2017.
It’s worth noting that in July analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Qualcomm is likely to be the sole processor supplier for Samsung’s Galaxy S23 (70% of S22 shipments) thanks to its next-generation flagship 5G chip, the SM8550 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2), which is made with TSMC 4nm.
