Recent reports suggest U.S. chip maker Qualcomm Inc is planning to bank upon Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to get its next-generation Snapdragon 820 mobile processors manufactured.
According to a report on Re/code, citing sources familiar with Qualcomm and Samsung’s operations, the two companies are planning to team up on the Snapdragon 820 chipset. The Snapdragon 820 is the next generation of Qualcomm’s top-end chip family, designed for the 2016 flagship models from the leading phone makers.
The US chipmaker has previously teamed up with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to manufacture chips for its Snapdragon series.
The report claims that Samsung’s distinct production advantage over TSMC could be the main reason behind the shift.
Samsung currently uses a 14nm FinFET manufacturing process to build its mobile chips, while TSMC uses a less efficient 20nm process. This thinner wiring means chips can be smaller and less expensive to produce, as well as improving battery performance.
Neither Qualcomm nor Samsung have officially confirmed the move yet.
There are even reports that Samsung has been chosen to manufacture processors for Apple Inc’s new iPhones expected to launch later this year.
