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Rumors move faster than silicon sometimes. Earlier this month, whispers suggested Qualcomm might hand some of its next flagship mobile chips to Samsung Foundry. It sounded plausible—after all, multiple foundries mean supply flexibility. But a fresh tip on Weibo from Smart Chip Insider pushes the narrative back toward TSMC.
The leak claims Qualcomm will manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 exclusively at TSMC. No Samsung-run wafers for this generation, the insider says. That’s a firm statement from a source with a good track record for early chip scoops, and it helps explain why chatter about Samsung suddenly went quiet.
Both the standard and Pro variants of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 are expected to be built on TSMC’s N2P process.
Why is that likely? Because shifting a mobile SoC’s foundry late in development isn’t a flip of a switch. Designing, validating and readying a modern system-on-chip—from IP blocks to the finished tape-out—takes around two years. If Qualcomm aims to put this silicon into phones as early as Q3, swapping manufacturing partners at the eleventh hour would be a logistical and technical nightmare.
That doesn’t mean Samsung is permanently benched. Qualcomm’s CEO Cristiano Amon said at CES 2026 that talks with Samsung are ongoing. He didn’t name products. But the comment left the door open: collaboration could still materialize, just likely not for the earliest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 shipments.
For handset makers and supply chains, the practical takeaway is simple: expect the initial rollout to ride on TSMC’s N2P tooling. For everyone else—enthusiasts, reviewers, and investors—the finer details will emerge only when Qualcomm spells things out. Until then, the smart money is on TSMC, and the question becomes how future partnerships will reshape the next wave of mobile silicon.
Keep an eye on official announcements; chips may be designed in boardrooms, but their verdict arrives on the production line.
Source: gizmochina
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