SAMSUNG

Exynos 2500 faces production setbacks: Samsung’s 3nm yield falls below 20%

While the Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, Samsung’s plans for the base Galaxy S25 and S25+ models remain unclear. Initially, the Exynos 2500 chip was expected to power some regional variants, but recent reports suggest that production issues with Samsung’s 3nm process may force a shift to alternative processors like MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400.

According to a report from Korean media outlet NewsWay, Samsung’s 3nm process yield has fallen below expectations, with a reported yield rate of less than 20%. This low output rate has discouraged Samsung from moving forward with large-scale production of the Exynos 2500 chip, which was initially slated for certain regional versions of the Galaxy S25 series.

The Exynos 2500’s production setbacks could have far-reaching implications. Samsung’s foundry division, already facing substantial financial challenges, could incur significant losses due to this issue, with estimates suggesting losses of up to 1 trillion won in the third quarter of this year alone.

Samsung has traditionally aimed to balance its reliance on third-party chipmakers like Qualcomm by producing its own Exynos processors, but low yields in its 3nm process may prompt a shift toward a more externally sourced chipset strategy.

The low yield rate is not just a challenge for Samsung’s System LSI division (responsible for Exynos chip design) but also impacts other customers dependent on Samsung’s foundries.

This situation has increased speculation about alternative processors, with industry insiders suggesting that Samsung might replace the Exynos 2500 with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 for the Galaxy S25 and S25+ in specific regions.

In fact, the Dimensity 9400 features performance improvements, power efficiency gains, and advanced AI capabilities that could make it a practical choice for Samsung.

Geekbench appearance of Galaxy S25+...While Samsung is testing the European version of the Galaxy S25+ model with Exynos 2500, this could be a part of an internal evaluation process rather than a final decision. Benchmark scores for the Exynos 2500 also hint at significantly lower performance capability than the Snapdragon flagship. This disparity also raises questions about whether the Exynos 2500 can meet the high-performance expectations associated with Samsung’s flagship lineup.

Ultimately, the final chipset selections may depend on how quickly Samsung can resolve its 3nm yield issues. In the meantime, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite remains the primary candidate for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, while MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 could see an adoption in Samsung’s lineup as a replacement to the Exynos 2500 for the S25 and S25+.

mundophone