[News] Samsung May Outsource Exynos Production to TSMC Due to Low 3nm Yield Rate

---

---

According to a report in MoneyDJ, citing Android Police, TSMC’s N3E process yield rate has rumored to reach 90%, and Samsung Electronics may outsource the production of Exynos processors to TSMC.

According to the report, sources indicate that the yield rate of Samsung’s first-generation 3nm GAA process, SF3E-3GAE, has reached 50%-60%, though still failing to meet the initial target of 70%.

The report points out that the yield rate of Samsung’s second-generation 3nm process, SF3-3GAP,  is even lower at only 20%, less than one-third of the original target. As Samsung originally plans to produce its Exynos 2500 with in-house 3nm node, the yield issues could pose significant challenges.

On the other hand, TSMC’s N3E process yield has rumored to reach 82%-86%, with an average of 84%, getting very close to 90%, as the report noted.

The report mentions that the Exynos processor has been a frequent source of complaints due to overheating issues, which not only make phones uncomfortably hot but can also damage the microSD card and often trigger thermal throttling.

According to the report, users often criticize the battery life of devices with Exynos processors, saying that they fall short in performance compared to similar devices with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. Although the performance gap has narrowed over the past two years, these complaints remain common.

It is not only Samsung rumored to be considering outsourcing Exynos processors to TSMC. According to a report from Wccftech, long-time Samsung customer Google is also rumored to switch to TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, N3E, for its Tensor G5. As for Tensor G6, the report indicates that Google will utilize TSMC’s N3P process instead of the 2nm process speculated earlier. Its entire Pixel 10 series set to be launched next year will use TSMC’s 3nm process.

The report suggests that the Tensor G4 processor may be the last Google chipset manufactured by Samsung using its 4nm process.

Read more

• [News] Samsung Foundry Faces Yield Struggles and Client Losses, External Push for Spinoff and U.S. Listing
• [News] Google Reportedly Adopts TSMC’s N3P Process instead of 2nm for Tensor G6

(Photo credit: Samsung)