Qualcomm’s planned production agreement with Samsung Foundry for its next-generation mobile processor Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 has been canceled. This collaboration, which has been on the agenda for a long time, appears to have been shelved due to Samsung’s low efficiency in 2-nanometer production technology. The Samsung variant, which was codenamed SM8850-S in Qualcomm’s internal documents, has been removed from official documents. This step revealed that the collaboration was quietly terminated.

Samsung version of Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 canceled

The processor was planned to be developed specifically with Samsung’s 2nm GAA (Gate-All-Around) production process and used as a special version in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, the low efficiency experienced during the production process disrupted these plans.

Even in Samsung’s own Exynos 2600 processor, the efficiency rate remained around 50%, which is well below the 70% limit required for mass production. This situation posed a significant risk for Qualcomm, which demands high-volume and performance-oriented production.

This decision by Qualcomm has also brought up similar problems experienced in the past. The Snapdragon 888 model was also produced in Samsung’s production facilities, but was criticized for heating problems and energy inefficiency.

It is understood that the company has turned to TSMC, with which it has previously achieved successful results, in order to avoid similar problems. It is stated that the entire Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be produced with TSMC’s 3nm N3P process. This will apply not only to the general consumer version, but also to the special version to be used in the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

With this development, it has become certain that Qualcomm continues its cooperation with TSMC in its high-end chipset strategy. On the other hand, all eyes are now on Samsung’s Exynos 2600 chip.

Qualcomm’s withdrawal directly affects Samsung’s processor strategy in flagship models. It is not yet clear in which markets the S26 series will be offered with the Exynos processor. However, the current picture reveals that the efficiency problems Samsung faces in chip manufacturing technology affect not only itself but also its global partnerships.