Google has been using Samsung’s foundry for the production of the past 3 generations of its Tensor Processor and it could continue to do so for the upcoming Tensor G4 as well. However, beginning next year, the brand could finally ditch Samsung in favour of the TSMC foundry for making the Tensor G5 using a 3nm process.
A report by Business Korea says that Google is all set to use TSMC’s 3nm process for the production of its next generation of Tensor chips. This move isn’t unexpected, given that Apple began using this process for the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, while both Qualcomm and MediaTek are anticipated to follow suit with their upcoming chips.
The current Tensor G3 chip by Google is built on Samsung’s 4nm process, and it is expected that the Tensor G4 will further refine and clean up the issues of G3, even though it could use the same 4nm process by Samsung. Google’s Tensor has Samsung’s Exynos processor serving as its foundation and so far, Tensor hasn’t been able to match the standards of its competitors.
It not only lacks behind in processing power but also efficiency. While Samsung did make considerable progress with Exynos earlier this year when it introduced Exynos 2400, the company is reportedly having issues in terms of yield and efficiency with the upcoming Exynos 2500 SoC that’s supposed to use Samsung’s 3nm process. Power consumption and heat performance are reported to be 10-20% lower compared to TSMC’s 3nm process.
This could be another reason why Google is wanting to switch to TSMC beginning with Tensor G5. It would only make sense for Google to focus on significantly improving its Tensor chip with MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Apple making huge waves in the industry.
Reports of Google switching to TSMC for its Tensor chips surfaced back last year in May. This year, the Pixel 9 series is expected to consist of three models, including the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL, all of which will be powered by the Samsung-made Tensor G4 chipset.