Samsung Solves 2nm Yield, Exynos 2600 Near Mass Production

According to South Korean media outlet ETnews, Samsung Foundry is gearing up for mass production of its next flagship mobile processor, the Exynos 2600, built on Samsung’s own 2nm process technology. This milestone suggests Samsung may finally be overcoming the yield challenges that have long shadowed its advanced nodes.

Early reports indicated that Samsung's 2nm yields started below 30%, but the company is now pushing aggressively to raise them to 70% by the end of the year. A new component called the "Hot Phonon Block" (HPB), acting as a thermal dissipator, is expected to help resolve overheating issues that plagued previous designs. Meanwhile, Samsung’s microfabrication techniques continue to advance, with the Exynos 2600 currently undergoing performance testing. A final decision on whether the chip will power the upcoming Galaxy S26 flagship series is expected in Q4.

Leaked benchmarks show promising results: the 2nm Exynos 2600 reportedly features 2 ultra cores and 6 large cores, scoring around 2,950 points in Geekbench 6 single-core and 10,200 in multi-core tests. Its integrated Xclipse 960 GPU could hit 5,800 points in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme and about 85 FPS in GFXBench Aztec Ruins — pointing to CPU performance improvements of over 30% compared to the previous generation.

Samsung has been determined to turn around its foundry yield struggles. The 3nm GAA-based Exynos 2500 is already featured in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and more recently, Samsung secured Tesla's 2nm AI chip orders. If the Exynos 2600 becomes the first chip mass-produced on Samsung's 2nm node, its success could be crucial in proving the maturity of Samsung's process for Tesla and other potential customers.

For Qualcomm, this could change the competitive landscape. Currently, its Snapdragon 8 series relies on TSMC's second-gen 3nm process, where wafer costs can reach $18,500. TSMC is also reportedly pushing for an 8% price hike. Counterpoint Research notes that TSMC controls 87% of the global market for 5nm and below smartphone chips, giving it significant pricing power.