The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 could be sourced from TSMC and Samsung, as Qualcomm looks to reduce manufacturing costs by adding foundry giants. However, according to one report and statistic, in particular, it is possible that TSMC will get the majority of chip orders from the company, and the advantage is the 80 percent higher rate of return for the 3nm process.
In comparison, Samsung’s production rate is said to be quite abysmal, at 10 percent for its chips
With TSMC officially hosting an announcement party, and unveiling the Fab 18 facility that will mass-produce 3nm wafers, a report published by Business Next stated that according to experts specializing in the study of semiconductors, the current yield rate of 3nm is estimated to be around 60-70 percent, and in some cases cases, more than 70 percent. An unnamed industry analyst believes that TSMC’s current 3nm yield rate is 75-80 percent, which is quite impressive.
This statistic alone suggests that both Apple and Qualcomm may not have charging issues with their A17 Bionic and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, respectively, both of which will be built to their next-generation manufacturing process. As for Samsung, the Korean manufacturer may be the first to announce the 3nm GAA process, but we previously reported that the company is seeing a terrible rate of return, of just 20 percent.
It was previously reported that Samsung has seen improvements by partnering with US company Silicon Frontline Technology, but unless it becomes a competitive alternative to TSMC’s high rate of return, the majority of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 orders are likely to be filled by the Taiwanese. the creator. People close to Samsung’s plans believe the company’s chip yield was only 10 percent.
Because of the extra cost and complexities that come with producing chips in this manufacturing process, Qualcomm may have to pay more per chip, which just means it will start charging its smartphone partners. In this case, expect the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to be a bit more expensive compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which could raise the price of the 2024 Android flagship.
News source: Bnext