As TSMC ramps up production of its 2nm wafers, a host of customers, including Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, have lined up to secure the initial shipment. MediaTek appears to be in the lead so far as it has completed the tape-out of its 2nm SoC, with an official launch happening in late 2026. As for Qualcomm, it was rumored to skip a generation and jump straight to the more advanced N2P variant, but a tipster says that no such releases are happening next year.
Qualcomm was previously rumored to stick with TSMC’s 2nm ‘N2P’ process for its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 7; tipster claims only N2 launches will happen in 2026
On Weibo, Fixed Focus Digital says that only 2nm N2 chipsets will materialize in 2026, pretty much burying the previous claims, which stated that Qualcomm will introduce its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 successor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, on TSMC’s newer N2P lithography. To be fair, it never made sense for the San Diego firm to jump to an advanced manufacturing process, especially when the N2 variant was in full-scale production.
Assuming the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 leveraged TSMC’s 2nm N2P node at a later time, there is the likelihood that the SoC will face poor yields because the Taiwanese semiconductor behemoth is scheduled to commence mass production of these wafers a little later than N2. Additionally, Qualcomm will have to pay TSMC a higher sum for its 2nm N2P wafers, making the entire process financially taxing and leaving the N2 process the obvious and sensible choice.
However, even though Qualcomm and MediaTek are reported to launch their first chipsets on TSMC’s 2nm technology, Apple will likely be the first to unveil its A20 and A20 Pro for the iPhone 18 family. The Cupertino giant has been reported to have secured more than half of TSMC’s initial capacity, most probably to prevent its competitors from obtaining an edge. Apple’s aggressive tactics may have forced Qualcomm to join forces with Samsung.
We say this because a 2nm GAA sample of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 was reportedly sent to the chipset maker for further evaluation and testing, and if this variant performs according to Qualcomm’s expectations, we should see the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 adopt both Samsung’s and TSMC’s technologies. For now, let us focus on next year’s SoC releases on a single node and if there any changes to this launch, we will update our readers accordingly.
News Source: Fixed Focus Digital
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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