The troubles that Samsung has been facing with its 3nm GAA technology ultimately meant that Qualcomm would have little choice but to exclusively place next year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 orders with TSMC on its 3nm ‘N3P’ technology. The San Diego firm has attempted to form a dual-sourcing supply chain with both foundries on multiple occasions but has found little luck as the Korean giant cannot crawl back out of the hole that it has dug for itself. However, being the persistent entity that it is, a new rumor claims that Samsung has set its sights on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, and Qualcomm has tasked the company to develop a 2nm prototype by the second half of 2026.
Samsung has previously been rumored to be working on its 2nm technology codenamed ‘Ulysses’, but it will have to tackle the low yield problem head-on to win orders
The setbacks that Samsung has faced with its foundry business also mean that its Exynos 2500 will not be ready in time, meaning that the Galaxy S25 series will exclusively launch with the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Despite its back against the wall, the Korean technology behemoth is said to be developing its 2nm node that was previously reported to be codenamed ‘Ulysses,’ and according to MyDrivers, Qualcomm might have some knowledge regarding this manufacturing process because it could involve Samsung securing Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 orders.
Keep in mind that we are not expected to witness the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 launch until the fourth quarter of 2026, but the Chinese outlet mentions that Qualcomm is preparing Samsung to develop a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 prototype on the company’s 2nm process. If this trial SoC performs based on Qualcomm’s expectations, and if Samsung somehow manages to hold its own in producing a stable wafer output each month without fail, it could find its name on the list of the chipset maker’s supply chain once again.
Having more than one supplier will always benefit Qualcomm because next year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 will reportedly impact smartphone profits due to its high pricing. As always, we will remind readers that it is way too early to confirm Samsung’s comeback, so we will treat this rumor with a pinch of salt and hit you back with future updates.
News Source: MyDrivers
