Rumor: Qualcomm will let TSMC produce 7nm socs from the end of this year

Qualcomm’s first 7nm socs will go into production at the end of this year, after TSMC delivers its first test wafer in September. That is what the South Korean ETNews claims. In recent years, Qualcomm has partnered with Samsung.

When production starts at the end of this year, Qualcomm’s first 7nm socs will hit the market from spring next year. In recent months, the first phones based on the 10nm-soc Snapdragon 835 appeared, such as the American version of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, HTC U11 and soon the OnePlus 5.

According to ETNews, Samsung cannot produce socs on 7nm, because it has not yet finished preparations for that process. It has focused on 8nm after 10nm, which is a slightly modified variant according to the site. Samsung would not be ready for 7nm until the end of next year. TSMC is said to have skipped 10nm in favor of 7nm.

Qualcomm has been a regular customer of Samsung for the past few years. The Snapdragon 625, 820, 821 and 835 came from the factories of the South Korean chip manufacturer. At the same time, Samsung also made its own Exynos processors that are in many Galaxy smartphones. The companies involved have not yet responded to the rumor.