Google reportedly collaborates with Samsung as its foundry partner for Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 lineup, which is anticipated to hit the market later this year. However, the tech giant may possibly turn to TSMC in Pixel 10, using the latter’s 3nm node for Tensor G5, according to a report by Wccftech.
It is reported that, to facilitate this transition, Google has expanded its Taiwanese R&D center, enabling closer collaboration with TSMC to produce its most advanced silicon. In late April, Google opened its second hardware office in Taiwan for Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest development, located at the TPark campus in New Taipei City.
Wccftech stated that Google has changed its stance, as Tensor G3’s performance lags behind its competitors, and TSMC might help to resolve the problem. Tensor G3, manufactured utilizing Samsung’s 4LPP node, is reported to lag behind in CPU performance, if compared with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen2 and Apple’s A17 Pro.
The aforementioned report suggested that Google plans to utilize TSMC’s 3nm ‘N3E’ process for its advanced chipset, the same node employed in Apple’s M4 chips that power the latest iPad Pro models.
At the Google I/O 2024 developer conference on May 14th, Google unveiled its 6th generation custom chip, the Trillium TPU, rumored to be manufactured on a TSMC 3nm or 4nm process, according to a report by CTEE. It is also reported that Google has been aggressively working on its upcoming TPU models, collaborating with Taiwanese fabless companies MediaTek and Alchip. Taiwan’s largest PCB substrate manufacturer, Unimicron, is also said to be included in the Trillium TPU’s supply chain.
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(Photo credit: TSMC)