Google recently established a new hardware development center in Taiwan, which may have been a precursor to Pixel 10. The Pixel 10, arriving in 2025, will undoubtedly feature the fifth generation of Google's proprietary chip "Tensor" (likely to be called the Tensor G5), and a prominent leaker has reported that this chip may be manufactured by Taiwan's TSMC.
Is the Long-Standing Relationship with Samsung Coming to an End?
Google's Tensor chips have been developed in partnership with Samsung since the very first generation, with manufacturing also handled by Samsung Semiconductor. However, leaker Revegnus (now known as J.Reve) posted on X reporting that the 2025 Tensor G5 is planned to adopt TSMC's 3nm process. Additionally, they stated that Google has been expanding its R&D facility in Taiwan and increasing its local semiconductor engineering staff in preparation for the switch to TSMC.
The switch to TSMC for Tensor G5 manufacturing was also previously reported by The Information. This Tensor G5 is said to be Google's first fully custom-designed chip, and while previous Tensor chips were mid-range class aside from their AI performance, this one is said to elevate the chip to high-end device class all at once.
The reason behind Google's decision to switch from Samsung to TSMC remains unclear, but currently, Samsung has consistently lagged behind TSMC in chip manufacturing. While Samsung achieved the transition to 3nm ahead of TSMC, it has continued to struggle to secure orders from manufacturers due to low yield rates. In comparison, TSMC has secured numerous 3nm chip orders from Apple, and its second-generation 3nm process, "N3E," has also been ramping up smoothly, with reports already indicating excellent yield rates. This N3E process is reportedly being considered for adoption by an impressive lineup of companies beyond Apple, including Qualcomm, MediaTek, AMD, and NVIDIA.
However, it seems Samsung isn't content to remain behind indefinitely. Samsung recently announced a partnership with Synopsys, reporting that it has entered the tape-out phase for its first 3nm chip for mobile devices. According to recent reports, this is said to refer to the upcoming Exynos 2500 chip that Samsung plans to use in the next Galaxy S25, and along with improved yield rates, it is also said to leverage the advantages of GAA transistors to demonstrate superior power efficiency compared to Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
Sources