TSMC Gains Edge in Chip Race as Qualcomm and MediaTek Abandon Samsung's 3nm

Large chip manufacturers such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and others are relying on TSMC to produce their upcoming generation of high-end chipsets. These chips will use the cutting-edge 3nm technology from TSMC.

In case you missed it, there were rumors that Qualcomm was getting its 3nm processors from TSMC and Samsung. These foundries would be utilized for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC. Meanwhile, the chip titans MediaTek and Qualcomm are reportedly looking to TSMC for their second generation 3nm process (N3E), according to a recent China Times story. The Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be made with this.

Apple is a significant customer of TSMC, having used their 3nm process line for chipsets for its upcoming M series and A series smartphones. For its A17 Pro CPU, which powers the iPhone 15 Pro series, the business now relies on TSMC's first-generation 3nm technology (N3B). The article also states that Samsung Foundry is still without a significant customer for its 3nm chip production technique.

Usually, companies that manufacture chipsets, such as Qualcomm, MediaTek, Apple, and Nvidia, also put orders with Samsung Foundry. These aren't necessarily flagship processors, though. The South Korean business anticipated that several brands would place orders with its foundry since it started providing cutting-edge 3nm process technology. However, this change may take longer than anticipated.