Samsung scratching its head 'intensively analyzing' why Google switched to TSMC chip production

Google will announce its next-generation Pixel 10 family of smartphones later this year, the first time that it will power its Android-based smartphones with its in-house Tensor G5 processor, which will be mass-produced by TSMC and not Samsung, leaving Samsung scratching its head as to how it lost that big contract.

Google's new in-house Tensor G5 processors will be fabricated on TSMC's new N3E process node using InFO-POP packaging, and Samsung isn't happy about it. According to new reports from The Bell picked up by @Jukanlosreve, Samsung is now "intensively analyzing" why Google made the switch from Samsung Foundry to TSMC... yet it's not so surprising given the South Korean giant has been stumbling with its semiconductor process.

Samsung Foundry reportedly held a strategic meeting to focus on "Why We Lost Google" to TSMC, especially after Samsung and Google have long collaborated together, but then Google did something that Samsung didn't like: made its in-house Tensor SoC project with Samsung, motivated by Samsung's in-house Exynos chips.

Samsung has been mass producing the SoCs for Google Pixel smartphones for years now, but the problems started when Samsung's yields declined as they moved into 3nm. Reports also suggest that the lack of semiconductor IP also played a part, meaning Samsung's software resources couldn't meet Google's diverse performance and functional resources.

Google has also been releasing foldable smartphones like its current-gen Pixel 9 Pro Fold smartphones, competing directly against Samsung's growing range of Galaxy Fold smartphones that have had some negative impacts on the relationship between the two smartphone giants.

All of this culminates in Google's new in-house Tensor G5 chip production being given to TSMC, with the industry expecting TSMC to maintain this exclusive chip-making position for Google through to the next-next-gen Pixel 14 family of smartphones years from now.

A semiconductor industry official adds: "Losing Google is a case that instantly revealed Samsung Foundry's complex problems. I understand that a lot of internal discussions and contemplation are going on".