Samsung Foundry appears to be regaining ground in the ultra-competitive chipmaking landscape. According to reports from Korean media, the company is in talks with Qualcomm to produce its next-gen 2nm flagship smartphone processor. The chip in question is reportedly the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 Gen 2, which could be the Samsung-exclusive “for Galaxy” version of the same chip.
Interestingly, while TSMC is set to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 using its 3nm node starting later this year, Samsung will use its more advanced 2nm process. Moreover, the Korean firm won’t produce the chip until the second half of 2026, so it likely intends to use it in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8. The Galaxy S26 series, coming in early 2026, will seemingly miss out on this Samsung-made 2nm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 processor.
Samsung might produce the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 “for Galaxy” processor
The Snapdragon processors found in Samsung’s recent flagships are an overclocked version of Qualcomm’s latest flagship offerings. The Korean firm uses a custom solution with a faster CPU and GPU than the standard version available for other brands. So far, both versions have been manufactured by TSMC on its most advanced process node.
However, starting with the next-gen model, the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, Samsung plans to produce the “for Galaxy” version on its own. While TSMC is sticking to the 3nm process node for another year, the Korean firm appears all set to upgrade to the 2nm process in 2025. This shift means the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 would be a 3nm chip, while its “for Galaxy” version would employ the 2nm process.
That’s if Samsung and Qualcomm strike a deal in the first place. Qualcomm hasn’t used Samsung’s foundry for over three years, with the firms last collaborating for the production of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm) at the end of 2021. The American chipmaker may not lose anything by going with Samsung for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 “for Galaxy”, though.
For one, Samsung’s foundry costs are lower than TSMC’s, so it’ll secure a higher margin. Moreover, this chip will be exclusively used by Samsung — unless things change in the coming years — so Samsung is more likely to face backlash for any performance issues. It might be more of a risk for the Korean firm than Qualcomm, so the latter may not back away from this deal.
A chance for Samsung to showcase its 2nm strength
Samsung has had a forgettable 3nm era, as it failed to produce a 3nm smartphone chip — there’s still uncertainty over the future of the Exynos 2500. Poor yields delayed its 3nm mass production, forcing the company to ship the Galaxy S25 series with the Snapdragon 8 Elite “for Galaxy” globally.
The Korean behemoth now aims to bounce back with strong 2nm yields — they remain low, but the company has time to improve. The plan is to ship the Galaxy S26 series with the 2nm Exynos 2600 processor. If not the entire lineup globally, Samsung is desperate to sell the new flagships with its in-house 2nm processor in some markets. The regular Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 might power the lineup in the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, if Samsung hits the jackpot with the Exynos 2600, the doors might reopen for its foundry business. It hasn’t been able to secure big manufacturing contracts lately due to poor yields and performance issues. Unfortunately, the planned 2nm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 “for Galaxy” may not be ready in time for the Galaxy S26 series. Nonetheless, some exciting times are ahead for Samsung fans.
