Qualcomm going back to TSMC for its 7nm chips, production starts later this year Comments
- Kangal
- uCX
H-1, 23 Jun 2018With all those companies making chips in TMSC's factories, it's odd how info about one SoC doe... moreThat's because this is only a rumour, and it has a 50% chance of being fake.
Why?
TSMC's 7nm lithography is really good, and better than Samsung high-yield 10nm fab and even better than Intel's no-yield 10nm fab. So it stands to reason Qualcomm want to get it this year and use for the next Snapdragon Flagship chip.
Why Not?
Even though TSMC is ahead of Samsung, GlobalFoundries, and Intel... they are only ramping up production now. And if Apple buys all the wafers, then there won't be enough for Qualcomm in early 2019. So Qualcomm may need Samsung still. On top of this, Qualcomm made a lucrative 3-year agreement with Samsung to buy their chips back in 2016. So Qualcomm possibly may not be able to back-out.
So in Q2/2018 Qualcomm was left with some choices to consider for 2019 flagship:
1) ++10nm Samsung (standard) vs 7nm TSMC (difficult)
2) Custom Cortex A75 (standard) vs Stock Cortex A76 (difficult)
3) Available in Q1 2019 (standard) vs Delayed to Q3 2019 (difficult)
...so its totally possible that we get a more refined QSD 845 SoC that is around 10% faster whilst using 5% less battery just by improvements in the yields, implementation, and refined drivers. This would be the safe move. And it might even be smart for Qualcomm to release this in Q4/2018, which would allow them to push-back the true successor to Q3/2019 and use the better technology (Cortex A76 on 7nm) instead without breaking their contract.
- H-1
- dMD
With all those companies making chips in TMSC's factories, it's odd how info about one SoC doesn't leak to another maker.
- Anonymous
- I8m
Vegetaholic, 23 Jun 2018This means Sony will be last as usualAnd sadly not by lack of tech, power, money, or potential. By their own doing.
Sony for years now could have been fighting for number one and at least been in the ballpark of something close to what their excessive fans always claim.
But the reason year after year they are not is because their higher ups make terrible decisions and hold themselves down severely
- Anonymous
- I8m
Vegetaholic, 23 Jun 2018Blow for Samsung but I bet their 7nm solution will be betterDue to the process there is a good chance.
- Vegetaholic
- sXj
GeraltOfYenfer, 22 Jun 2018This means Sony will keep beating everyone in nabbing the flagship SoC.This means Sony will be last as usual
- Anonymous
- I8m
GeraltOfYenfer, 22 Jun 2018This means Sony will keep beating everyone in nabbing the flagship SoC.Not
- .alpha
- IbG
No one want Samsung hoarding SD 835 and SD 845 to happen again. Samsung is detrimental to Android development.
- Martin Su
- k3L
AnonD-594740, 22 Jun 2018How can the EUV process be cheaper if the machines needed are super expensive and limited (on ... moreThe number of processing steps is approximately halved.
Instead of 600 normal processing steps (deposition, photoresist, mask, etch, etc.), EUV involves only about 300 steps.
Dramatically reducing the number of processing steps results in a cheaper EUV silicon-fabricated chip.
- YalokIy
- JGx
They were too fast with 7nm, this makes me a bit suspicious if the technology is too rushed.
- AnonD-594740
- 8@M
ZolaIII, 22 Jun 2018Not really. The Samsungs first generation 7nm FinFET will be much more advanced and cheaper (E... moreHow can the EUV process be cheaper if the machines needed are super expensive and limited (on quantity), and the process itself is newer (aka more wafers can have deffects)?
- leledumbo
- xhm
Geric.770, 22 Jun 2018Hehe. Meanwhile in the low end segment, Qualcomm is still using this effing 28nm chipsets. I ... moreSD450 is already 14nm, only a handful of 425, 430 and 435 in 28nm left. They could be gone next year. 200 series doesn't seem to have a future in smartphone world.
- Weduz97
- Kir
Geric.770, 22 Jun 2018Hehe. Meanwhile in the low end segment, Qualcomm is still using this effing 28nm chipsets. I ... moreWhile mediatek start using 12nm for low to mid segment
- Anonymous
- 4S2
ZolaIII, 22 Jun 2018Not really. The Samsungs first generation 7nm FinFET will be much more advanced and cheaper (E... moreHow do you it is much more advanced than TSMC? TSMC has already beaten samsung in the production of the A series chip for Apple.
- sinadrs
- nD}
James Whister, 22 Jun 2018What is this 'nm' in chips?It's the distance between transistors. Smaller distance means that you can add more transistors on the same area. Also, 1mm=1.000.000nm
- MinnThuKhine
- g39
James Whister, 22 Jun 2018What is this 'nm' in chips?It's nanometer. And that's the distance between two transistors.
- Anonymous
- D0h
James Whister, 22 Jun 2018What is this 'nm' in chips?Nano meter,
- ZolaIII
- 3iH
Kiyasuriin, 22 Jun 2018Awesome! That would yield an even higher preformance peak, or better Power efficiencyNot really. The Samsungs first generation 7nm FinFET will be much more advanced and cheaper (EUV) than TSMC's.
- GeraltOfYenfer
- MiY
Geric.770, 22 Jun 2018Hehe. Meanwhile in the low end segment, Qualcomm is still using this effing 28nm chipsets. I ... moreThis means Sony will keep beating everyone in nabbing the flagship SoC.
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