Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will likely be produced exclusively at TSMC

Earlier this month, rumors surfaced suggesting Qualcomm might tap Samsung Foundry to manufacture its upcoming Snapdragon mobile processors. These whispers mainly revolved around the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series, which allegedly was being considered for production at Samsung’s fabs.

However, a fresh report from Smart Chip Insider on Weibo claims Qualcomm will rely solely on TSMC for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 lineup. According to the source, both the standard and Pro variants will be fabricated on TSMC’s N2P process, as originally expected.

The insider backs this up by pointing to the practical realities of chip development. Designing and bringing a modern mobile processor to production is a long and complex journey that can’t be drastically altered on short notice. The full development cycle — from IP block design to a finished system-on-chip — typically takes about two years. That means a chip expected to launch as soon as Q3 this year is extremely unlikely to switch foundry partners or manufacturing nodes suddenly.

Given these factors, the chances of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro being made at Samsung fabs are very slim. Still, this doesn’t mean Samsung is out of Qualcomm’s plans entirely. During CES 2026, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon confirmed talks between the two companies are ongoing. While he didn’t specify which products might be involved, his remarks leave the door open for future collaboration.

As with any early chip rumors, the full picture will only become clear once Qualcomm makes official announcements.