At CES 2026, Qualcomm explores a dual-foundry shift, tapping Samsung's 2 nm GAA for Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, citing cost advantages and early capacity.
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Qualcomm is preparing to rethink how it makes its flagship chips, moving toward a dual-foundry strategy. At CES 2026, it emerged that the company is in talks with Samsung to produce the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 using a 2 nm GAA process—a shift that points to a more flexible sourcing approach.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told reporters that, among several potential contract manufacturers, the company has begun discussions with Samsung Electronics about using its latest 2 nm technology. He added that the chip’s design has been completed with an eye to swift commercialization.
Samsung already employs 2 nm GAA technology for mass production of the Exynos 2600. While early yield rates are estimated at roughly 50%, the company is showing momentum: over the past year it has secured several major contracts, including a $16.5 billion deal with Tesla, as well as orders in AI and crypto hardware. Together, these wins indicate stabilization across both Samsung’s newest and more mature process nodes.
According to industry sources, Samsung plans to allocate about 10% of its Hwaseong S3 fab capacity to manufacturing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Those orders could generate around $470 million in revenue in the near term.
Pricing also tilts the scales toward Samsung: 2 nm wafers are estimated at about $20,000, whereas comparable TSMC offerings reportedly run close to $30,000. That gap makes the Korean manufacturer a more appealing partner for Qualcomm, especially as the cost of flagship silicon continues to climb.