Samsung Unveils Exynos 2600: The World’s First 2nm GAA Chip to Power the Galaxy S26

Bryan Ma, Vice President of Client Devices Research at IDC Asia-Pacific, noted that Samsung is set to debut its flagship Exynos 2600 mobile platform next year, which will be the world’s first processor manufactured using a 2nm GAA (Gate-All-Around) process. This groundbreaking chip is expected to power the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.

Initially, Samsung had planned to equip the Galaxy S25 series—unveiled earlier this year—with the Exynos 2500 processor. However, due to issues with yield and performance, the entire S25 lineup ultimately adopted the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip instead.

Although the Exynos 2500 found a place in Samsung’s smaller, foldable Galaxy Z Flip7 device later in the year, the larger and more performance-focused Galaxy Z Fold7 continued to rely exclusively on Qualcomm’s processors. This suggests that critical issues—such as yield rates, performance stability, and thermal efficiency—remained unresolved for the Exynos 2500.

One key limitation stemmed from Samsung’s design decision to incorporate an additional Arm A725 CPU core to improve thermal stability and overall processing reliability. However, this came at the expense of omitting the ultra-powerful X925 core found in competing designs.

In response, Samsung is realigning its design strategy for the forthcoming Exynos 2600, aiming to enhance computational density and performance by adopting its in-house 2nm GAA process. The new chip will also offer upgraded AI capabilities, with specific improvements to NPU performance and on-device AI processing.

Architecturally, the Exynos 2600 is expected to feature a 10-core configuration in a “1+3+6” layout: one ultra-core clocked at 3.55GHz, three performance cores at 2.96GHz, and six efficiency cores at 2.46GHz. This configuration is designed to significantly boost image processing and on-device AI performance.

Nevertheless, the Exynos 2600 will enter a fiercely competitive arena—challenged by Apple’s upcoming A19 Pro, MediaTek’s anticipated Dimensity 9500, and Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon flagship platform. Whether Samsung can gain a technological edge through its 2nm GAA process remains uncertain.

In addition to the Exynos 2600, earlier reports suggest Samsung has completed development of its second-generation 2nm process, which is slated to power the Exynos 2700 in 2027. The company now appears to be shifting its strategic focus toward refining its 2nm technology. As a result, Samsung has delayed its previously ambitious timeline to outpace TSMC by launching 1.4nm production in 2027—postponing it instead to 2029.

Recent market data highlights Samsung’s struggles in advanced node foundry competitiveness. Its market share dropped from 11% in Q1 2024 to just 7.7%, reflecting a nearly 30% decline within a year. In contrast, TSMC’s share of the advanced foundry market surged to 67.6%.

Moreover, Samsung’s current yield for its 2nm process reportedly stands at a modest 30%, whereas TSMC has already achieved yields exceeding 60%. Compounding this, Samsung has halved its investment in advanced process R&D for the year—from 10 trillion KRW to 5 trillion KRW. This shift underscores that Samsung’s immediate focus lies in stabilizing its 2nm yield, rather than aggressively pursuing breakthroughs in 1.4nm technology—potentially ceding leadership in this next frontier to TSMC.

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