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Qualcomm in Talks With Samsung for Next-Gen 2nm Chips

CIO Insider Team | Thursday, 8 January, 2026
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Qualcomm Inc is currently engaged in discussions with Samsung Electronics regarding the production of their upcoming 2-nanometer chips, as confirmed by CEO Cristiano Amon during CES 2026.

This collaboration signifies a promising opportunity for the South Korean tech giant's foundry business, which has previously faced challenges in keeping pace with TSMC.

The company has initiated negotiations with Samsung Electronics for contract production utilizing cutting-edge 2-nanometer technology.

Additionally, it was mentioned that Qualcomm has finished the design phase and is scheduled for commercial launch in the near future.

The specific chip model has not been officially confirmed, but according to industry insiders, it is likely to be the Snapdragon 8s Elite Gen 5, which is an updated version of Qualcomm's leading mobile processor.

In recent years, Samsung's semiconductor manufacturing division has encountered challenges, including technical setbacks and production problems that had previously impacted Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.

TSMC has remained the leader in the industry by achieving superior production yields and utilizing cutting-edge transistor technology. Consequently, Google and other clients have started to migrate their orders from Samsung to TSMC.

Recent advancements such as Samsung's latest 2nm process (SF2P) and the introduction of the Exynos 2600 indicate a possible shift in momentum. Samsung's recent agreement with Tesla for AI chips, valued at $16.5 billion, reflects a resurgence of interest in its cutting-edge technologies.

Co-CEO Jun Young-hyun views these agreements as a significant milestone towards substantial progress within the division. During CES 2026, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X2 Plus, their most recent low-tier PC processor, while introducing a robotics program focused on humanoid robots, as a component of a more extensive plan to expand beyond smartphones.

Also Read: Lookback 2025: 7 Companies that Embraced & Advanced AI this Year

The company has initiated negotiations with Samsung Electronics for contract production utilizing cutting-edge 2-nanometer technology.

In addition, ZF and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have announced a partnership in technology to offer an advanced and adaptable ADAS solution that merges sophisticated AI processing and perception capabilities. Fueled by Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Ride system-on-chips (SoCs), this solution provides a robust and versatile foundation for autonomous driving.

ZF’s ProAI supercomputer also incorporates Snapdragon Ride™ Pilot and Vision stack to expedite time-to-market and offer preconfigured systems to automobile manufacturers.

Also Read: Lookback 2025: 7 of the Year's Biggest Tech Acquisitions

This collaboration combines cutting-edge automotive computational power and instantaneous perception, empowering car makers to implement scalable ADAS solutions across a diverse range of vehicle models and automation levels—ranging from regulatory functionalities to Level 3 capabilities.

Also Read: Lookback 2025: 7 Indian Companies That Drove Major Expansions

The ZF ProAI supercomputer, when utilized with Snapdragon Ride, has the ability to function as a domain, zone, or central controller. This enables it to support advanced capabilities such as computer vision, sensor fusion, and decision-making control logic, either independently or as a combined end-to-end AI model.

ZF and Qualcomm Technologies are collaborating to provide the next evolution of vehicle intelligence that is tailored to address the increasing requirements of software-driven vehicles, enhance safety, and expedite the worldwide integration of automated driving technologies.



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