Samsung is developing a satellite chip for SpaceX

After Samsung received a major order from Tesla to produce advanced chips, the company is looking to strengthen its collaboration with other projects from Ilon Musk. According to a new report, Samsung is working on an advanced Exynos modem that could significantly improve the speed at which smartphones connect to SpaceX satellites.

As reported by KED Global, Samsung is developing an Exynos modem with support for direct satellite connectivity. The main feature of the new chip — an embedded neural processing unit (NPU) that speeds up connecting devices to satellites in low earth orbit (LEO) compared to existing solutions. This eliminates the need for ground base stations.

According to the source, Samsung representatives have already held a meeting with SpaceX executives to discuss the modem’s specifications and the current state of development.

Compared to current satellite communication solutions, the new Exynos modem provides 55x faster beam identification and 42x faster link prediction. This enables faster tracking of satellite trajectories and real-time signal optimization for faster data rates.

The new Exynos modem provides faster beam identification and 42x faster channel prediction.

Samsung plans to supply this modem to SpaceX’s 6G network called NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network), which is designed to provide global coverage. SpaceX intends to use this network for seamless and low latency communications for autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.

Experts note that in the future, direct satellite networks could replace traditional cellular networks, becoming an industry worth about $540 billion by 2040. Therefore, the success of the new Exynos modem will be a strategically important step for Samsung in strengthening its position in the mobile technology market.