NVIDIA could have 2nm AI GPUs fabbed at Samsung Foundry, diversifying AI chip orders with TSMC

Samsung Electronics has its Samsung Foundry semiconductor division conducting process evaluations with NVIDIA and Qualcomm to secure orders for its next-gen 2nm process node.

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We had rumors from early January 2025 that said NVIDIA and Qualcomm were considering Samsung Foundry and its new 2nm process, but in a new report from Korean media outlet Chosun, we're hearing Samsung Foundry is expected to enter the final stage of 2nm process performance evaluation for NVIDIA GPUs and Qualcomm mobile processors "soon".

Chosen spoke with a semiconductor industry insider, who said: "with geopolitical risks in the Taiwan Strait intensifying by the day, global big tech companies cannot rely solely on TSMC for production. While yields were lower than expected initially, recent evaluations have produced positive results". Samsung Foundry has been struggling for years now, with TSMC absolutely dominating the semiconductor space and now Intel with billions of dollars worth of ASML's bleeding-edge High-NA EUV lithography machines, Samsung needs all the clients (and big ones like NVIDIA and Qualcomm) as it can get.

It's rumored that Samsung Foundry's new 2nm process yield has exceeded 40% and that the semiconductor foundry division will gain momentum on improving the yields of 2nm, as it has reportedly recently improved 3nm yields (which first used GAA technology, and developed by improving the 3nm process).

Meanwhile, NVIDIA and Qualcomm collaborated with TSMC on the new 2nm process node, but the companies want to diversify their 2nm chip orders away from TSMC over concerns of the breakout of a (huge) war in Taiwan, as China has said it plans to invade Taiwan by 2027 according to a top US admiral testifying to Congress.