Samsung's improved 8nm chip manufacturing process, 8LPU+, has sparked talk that it could be used in Nintendo's unannounced "Switch 2 Lite." According to an abstract for a paper to be presented at IEDM 2026, an international semiconductor conference, 8LPU+ improves performance by 12%, cuts power consumption by 15%, and shrinks circuit area by 8% compared with the existing 8LPU. However, these figures describe improvements to a manufacturing process. They do not mean a new game console has been confirmed to use it.
Indeed, the author of Nintendo Patents Watch, who pointed to a possible Switch 2 Lite connection, made clear in an October 27 update that his analysis was "speculation." A more power-efficient, more compact process could help in designing a handheld, but there is no evidence that Nintendo will use 8LPU+ in a new product. Here is a look at the technical improvements that have been disclosed and how far inferences from them can reasonably go.
The Switch 2 Lite theory: its originator calls it speculation
The discussion began with an article from Nintendo Patents Watch dated October 22, "Samsung 8LPU process: A Switch 2 Lite SoC candidate?" It was first published on October 21 Pacific Time. The author reasoned that if a smaller, more power-efficient SoC can be made, it could be a candidate for a future Switch 2 Lite chip. An SoC (System on a Chip) integrates functions such as the CPU and GPU into a single semiconductor chip.
After parts of the internet picked up the idea as a rumor about a new console, the author added an update on October 27 stating, "This is clearly a speculative post." It was not based on original reporting confirming that Nintendo is developing a new product or adopting Samsung's process. The article therefore cannot be taken as evidence that a Switch 2 Lite exists or of what SoC it might use.
Meanwhile, the abstract Samsung published for IEDM 2026 envisions cost-sensitive automotive and robotics applications as the main uses for 8LPU+. It also mentions edge AI, but neither Nintendo nor NVIDIA is named. What can be confirmed officially at this point is the technical improvements to 8LPU+; the link to the Switch 2 Lite remains a third-party hypothesis.
Samsung's 8LPU+ claims 12% more performance and 15% less power
8LPU+ is presented as an 8nm-generation process that does not use extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. According to Samsung's abstract, compared with the existing 8nm process, 8LPU, it improves performance by 12%, reduces power consumption by 15%, and reduces circuit area by 8%. However, detailed comparison conditions such as operating voltage, frequency, and workload have not been disclosed, nor have absolute power figures. The public abstract also does not make clear whether all three gains can be achieved simultaneously under the same conditions.
The improvements to 8LPU+ are not limited to the logic circuits that perform computation. To suppress leakage current that flows even in standby, Samsung says it uses ultra-low-leakage SRAM and high-threshold-voltage transistors. These mainly help reduce standby power. The abstract, however, gives no specific leakage reduction rate, so it is unclear how much standby power would fall in actual products.
The I/O circuits have also been improved. Samsung describes technology that integrates 3.3V-capable planar I/O circuits, used to exchange signals with external devices, into a FinFET-based process. This reportedly reduces I/O circuit area by roughly a further 10%. That figure applies to the I/O circuits and is measured against a different baseline from the 8% area reduction above. The two cannot simply be added to conclude that the whole chip shrinks by about 18%. The real effect depends on the share of the chip occupied by I/O circuits and on the design.
The abstract also covers embedded magnetic memory that retains data without power, and automotive quality grades. In other words, 8LPU+ is not just about raising CPU or GPU performance; it is a technology for efficiently manufacturing semiconductors suited to specific uses, including memory and I/O circuits. There is, however, no basis for using the embedded memory density information to predict a console's storage capacity.
There is also background on manufacturing cost. According to an October 21 report from South Korea's ETnews, existing DUV lithography equipment is largely depreciated and yield know-how has accumulated, making costs easier to predict. The outlet also relayed anonymous industry sources' views that 8LPU+ is expected to be introduced within the year and that customers already using the existing 8nm process are likely adopters. It is not a report confirming a contract with Nintendo or NVIDIA, however, and this information alone cannot be used to estimate a future console's manufacturing cost or price.
Why the 8LPU+ gains can't be applied to the current Switch 2
So if 8LPU+ were adopted, how much more performance or power savings could be expected compared with the current Nintendo Switch 2? The problem is the baseline process. Nintendo's official Japanese Switch 2 specifications list the chip as a "custom processor made by NVIDIA" but do not disclose a model number or manufacturing process. It is therefore unclear whether the improvement rates Samsung cites for 8LPU+ can be used for a direct comparison with the current Switch 2.
Organizing Samsung's abstract, Nintendo's official specs, and Nintendo Patents Watch's analysis, what can be confirmed and what cannot be determined from it are as follows.
| What has been disclosed | Comparison baseline / scope | What can't be determined from it |
|---|---|---|
| 12% higher performance, 15% lower power, 8% smaller area | Samsung's IEDM 2026 public abstract; improvement of 8LPU+ over the existing 8LPU | Improvement over the current Switch 2; specs of a real device achieving all three figures at once |
| Roughly 10% further I/O circuit area reduction | Improvements to 8LPU+ input/output circuits | Whole-chip shrink rate; simple addition to the 8% area reduction |
| 5,220mAh battery, about 2 to 6.5 hours of battery life | Nintendo's published specs for the current Switch 2; battery life varies by software | Battery capacity or battery life of a device using 8LPU+ |
| Speculation that it is a Switch 2 Lite SoC candidate | Nintendo Patents Watch article; labeled speculation in the October 27 update | Existence of a Switch 2 Lite, any decision to adopt 8LPU+, release timing |
The improvement rates in Samsung's abstract are relative to 8LPU. Nintendo's official specifications do not show how the current Switch 2's processor relates to 8LPU. The measurement conditions for performance and power are also not fully disclosed, so even if 8LPU+ were used to make a game console SoC, the same improvement rates would not necessarily be obtained.
In the first place, a console's power consumption is not determined by the SoC alone. The current Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1920×1080 display, and the screen and wireless functions also draw power. Nintendo states battery life of about 2 to 6.5 hours, varying by software. Even if SoC power consumption fell 15%, total console power consumption would not fall by the same proportion.
Battery capacity matters too. The current Switch 2 has a 5,220mAh battery, but if a future smaller model changed that capacity, the effect of power savings on battery life would change as well. Process improvement rates alone therefore cannot predict a future console's battery life.
Battery life or compactness: where would the power savings go?
If an SoC consumes less power running the same functions under the same conditions, it opens up design options for a console. For example, a design could keep battery capacity and extend runtime, or shrink the battery to prioritize a lighter body. Reducing heat to ease the cooling burden, or putting the extra power and thermal headroom toward higher performance, are also conceivable. All of these are, however, general design choices and not information showing that Nintendo is developing such a product.
Adopting a power-efficient process also doesn't necessarily yield a compact console with long battery life. The finished device's performance and power consumption depend on the SoC design, clock speeds, battery capacity, display specs, cooling, and more. Evaluating final battery life requires those specs and measurements under real usage conditions. The abstract does not name any volume customer for 8LPU+ or give performance evaluations for applying it to the current Switch 2's processor.
Samsung Electronics' Junho Yang is scheduled to present at IEDM 2026 from 4:20 to 4:45 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on December 14. This is an academic presentation on semiconductor manufacturing technology, not a schedule for a new console announcement or the start of mass production. What to watch is how far the talk reveals detailed comparison conditions for 8LPU+'s performance, power, and area, as well as the improvements to various circuits.
If customers and specific products using 8LPU+ are announced, the process's uses will become clearer. Assessing its benefits for handheld consoles would further require finished-device specs and measured power consumption and battery life. All that can be confirmed now is that Samsung is improving its existing 8nm process to cut power and area. As for any connection to the Switch 2 Lite, we will have to wait for official announcements or concrete product information.