Samsung to Offer HPB Cooling Technology to Apple and Qualcomm

Samsung recently developed Heat Pass Block (HPB), a new heat-dissipation semiconductor packaging technology. The company now plans to offer this cooling solution to its key chip customers, such as Apple and Qualcomm. This technology will first be used in its next-generation mobile chip, the Exynos 2600, expected to power the upcoming Galaxy S26 and S26+ in select markets.

Samsung opens heat pass block packaging to major chip customers

Heat has become one of the biggest challenges for mobile chips as they shrink and become more powerful. During heavy tasks like gaming, video recording, and running AI features, the chip generates considerable heat. As such, the chip automatically reduces its performance to avoid damage. Thankfully, Samsung’s HPB technology may address this issue by maximizing heat dissipation. The company now wants to share that solution with the broader industry.

According to a report from ETNews, Samsung plans to make HPB available to external customers, including Qualcomm and Apple. The company’s own mobile division, MX, is reportedly requesting packaging improvements similar to HPB from Qualcomm. So, Qualcomm might consider adopting this technology for its future Snapdragon chips.

If this plan pans out, Samsung could begin rebuilding relationships with its key foundry clients. Qualcomm previously used the Korean company’s manufacturing process for its mobile chips, but shifted to TSMC since the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in 2022. Likewise, Apple moved to TSMC for its A-series processors since the A10 in 2016.

For the uninitiated, an HPB is a copper-based heatsink that sits above the application processor (AP). In the current Exynos chip packaging, Samsung places the DRAM on top of the processor. The company’s upcoming Exynos 2600 chip (based on a 2nm node) pushes the DRAM to the side and replaces it with HPB, which allows heat to dissipate quickly. As a result, the chip improves thermal performance by around 30% compared to its previous generation.