Samsung will build Qualcomm's Snapdragon X60 5nm modems

Samsung Semiconductor, a Samsung Electronics subsidiary that manufactures DRAM, SSD, processors and sensors, has won a contract to make Qualcomm's new 5G chips using its advanced 5nm manufacturing technology.

According to what reported by Reutersin particular, the new Snapdragon X60 modems, announced in the past few hours by Qualcomm, will be produced by Samsung Semiconductor. The 5nm production process, remember, allows you to make the chips smaller and more energy efficient than previous generations.

The Snapdragon X60 is Qualcomm's first 5G modem-antenna capable of supporting spectrum aggregation between all 5G bands and combinations, including mmWave and sub-6, using both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). Qualcomm plans to start shipping the first samples to manufacturers as early as this quarter. The first smartphones to integrate them are scheduled for early 2021.

However, the Korean company will not be entrusted with the entire production. In fact, a part will also go to the Taiwanese company Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) which already produces processors for Apple and Huawei and to which Samsung is trying to erode market share.

Samsung is the world's second largest processor manufacturer, which it makes for both its devices and third-party companies including IBM and Nvidia. Much of Samsung Semiconductor's revenue, however, has historically been generated by memory chips. Just to try to reduce its dependence on an unstable market, Samsung announced a $ 115 billion investment plan by 2030 last year.