As chips have pushed for better efficiency, the gap between Samsung and TSMC has become all the more clear. Now, it’s being reported that Samsung is seeing improvements to its 4nm process, which is apparently set to be used on Google’s Tensor G3 in future Pixel phones.
Pulse News reports that Samsung has seen improvements to its 4nm process yield during chip production, with the yield now nearing that of its established 5nm process. The “yield” in chip production refers to the number of chips produced on one wafer compared to the maximum number technically possible.
Samsung has been working on 4nm chips since 2021 but has struggled to keep up with TSMC, which has a superior process with better yields. In 2022, Qualcomm switched production of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from Samsung’s fabs to TSMC, with that change alone resulting in much better power efficiency, among other improvements. The report mentions that, according to “industry insiders,” Samsung’s 4nm process is now comparable to that of TSMC.
While this might not matter for long, as 3nm processes start to come online, it may be good news for some brands. AMD has apparently entered into a new partnership with Samsung as a result of these improvements, and this new process is also going to be used for Google’s next-generation Tensor chipset.
Where Tensor G2, found in Pixel 7 series devices and the upcoming Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold, used Samsung’s 5nm process, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will apparently usher in Google’s first 4nm smartphones with Tensor G3 using Samsung’s updated and now improved process.
More on Google Tensor:
- Google’s ‘Tensor G3’ chip reportedly still Samsung-made with same modem as Pixel 7
- Samsung finally reveals the details of the modem found in Pixel 7 and slated for Pixel 8
- What is next for Google Tensor? [Video]
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