Qualcomm has officially started preparations for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 processor. According to recent reports from the Asian market, new details about its production process have emerged.
Introduced in October, the Snapdragon 8 Elite offered significant advancements in both performance and efficiency. However, Qualcomm has already shifted its focus to the next generation, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, evidence of which was found in Xiaomi's HyperOS system.
For those unaware, Qualcomm relies on TSMC for the production of Snapdragon processors. However, the advanced 3nm N3P technology has significantly increased production costs. This led to speculation that Qualcomm might collaborate with Samsung Foundry.
According to the latest reports, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 will be exclusively manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm N3P process . Additionally, mid-range processors like the Snapdragon 8s Elite will also be produced by TSMC. Samsung 's 3nm GAA technology reportedly suffers from efficiency issues, with a mere 20% success rate—far below the 60% needed for mass production.
The new processor is expected to offer up to a 20% increase in multi-core performance, thanks to ARM’s Scalable Matrix Extension (SME) support. However, this improvement may lead to higher production costs, potentially reflecting on consumer prices.
