For almost three years, Samsung has depended on Qualcomm for mobile processors in its smartphones, mainly for the fact that the latter's chips have offered on-chip LTE connectivity for a long time. According to a new report, it looks like Qualcomm could soon be dependent on the Korean manufacturer as well, as the renowned chip maker has reportedly handed part of its mobile processor production to Samsung's foundry business. Samsung will be supplying Qualcomm with chips manufactured on a 14nm FinFet process, which are expected to make it to devices sometime in 2015 (Qualcomm's latest chip, the Snapdragon 805, is based on a 28nm process.)
Samsung hasn't officially confirmed the partnership, but it has been confirmed by industry sources talking to the Korean media. After Apple, Qualcomm is the second major customer for Samsung's chip production business – despite a share of more than 50 percent in the mobile processor market, Qualcomm has always outsourced chip production to third-party foundries, and has now made a deal with Samsung for its 14nm chips.
The deal between the two giants comes at an interesting time – Samsung is expected to use its Exynos chip in more regions with upcoming devices like the Galaxy Note 4, as it has finally been able to develop SoC's with an on-chip LTE modem. Hopefully, Samsung will learn a few new tricks while producing those processors for Qualcomm, while raking in the profits that such a deal is expected to bring.
