It seems like Samsung might land a huge chip order coming in from the likes of Elon Musk, and this time, it could be for xAI's first ASIC chip.
Samsung Could Land Orders For xAI's Custom-Built AI Chip, Considering The Firm's Relations With Elon Musk
The Korean giant has recently seen massive momentum in the chip industry, given the firm's success in grabbing orders for Tesla's AI6 chips, a contract worth $16.5 billion. More importantly, Samsung also managed to obtain orders for Apple's advanced image sensors by manufacturing them in the US, which shows that the company is gaining traction when it comes to adoption from external customers. In a wild rumor from the Korean outlet BusinessPost, it is claimed that Samsung could be a candidate for manufacturing xAI's custom AI chips, considering the firm's reputation with the Tesla deal.
The report claims that Samsung is pursuing 'foundry revival,' and a huge part of it includes ramping up 2nm production. The Korean giant is claimed to have been steadily progressing with SF2 technologies and plans to introduce 2nm into the Taylor facility in the upcoming years, showing a willingness to produce cutting-edge processes in the US. Elon has shown an inclination towards Samsung Foundry in recent times and has even claimed that the $16.5 billion Tesla deal is just an initial figure, with actual output being a lot more.
Of course, this is just a rumor for now, so take it with a grain of salt, but we know that Musk is involved in plans to develop custom silicon. His firm, xAI, recently opened up a job post for a custom silicon developer, which means that an ASIC is certainly underway. The idea of whether Samsung manages to grab the orders depends entirely on how the 2nm process turns out, but after the Tesla deal, we have seen higher confidence towards the South Korean giant, which means that it could certainly grab orders for Elon's first custom AI chip.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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