Samsung’s 2nm Exynos 2600 Hits Key Yield Milestone Ahead of Galaxy S26

Samsung is widely expected to ship the Galaxy S26 and S26+ with its in-house Exynos 2600 processor in some markets. Built on a 2nm process, the new chip brings notable upgrades across the board. Now, just weeks ahead of commercialization, the company may have hit a major milestone for its 2nm foundry yield. The Korean media suggests Samsung’s most advanced process has reached a 50% yield.

Samsung achieves 50% yield for its 2nm process ahead of Exynos 2600 commercialization

Reaching 50% yields for its 2nm process means Samsung Foundry can now scale Exynos 2600 production with greater confidence. With further improvements in the coming weeks, the company is well-poised to challenge the market leader, TSMC. The Taiwanese firm holds a lion’s share in the foundry market and has reportedly already achieved a 2nm yield of more than 80%.

Samsung still expects to close the gap at the top in the 2nm era (it failed terribly with 3nm chips). In fact, the company has already secured several major contracts for its advanced processes. Most notably, it signed a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar deal with Tesla last year. Even some of TSMC’s existing customers, including Qualcomm, are considering switching to Samsung Foundry for some of their 2nm products, signaling confidence in Samsung’s renewal in the foundry space.

Of course, TSMC isn’t standing still. As Samsung ramps up Exynos 2600 production, the Taiwanese foundry is preparing for full-scale 2nm manufacturing of its own. Whether TSMC can maintain its dominant lead, or if Samsung’s resurgence helps rebalance the foundry market as the 2nm era takes shape, remains to be seen. What’s clear is that the next generation of chips will intensify competition at the very top of the semiconductor industry.