Recent yield issues with the Exynos 2500 indicate that Samsung may struggle to produce the chipset in time for its upcoming Galaxy S25 series, set to launch in early 2025. It is no mystery that the company has struggled through a painful 3nm GAA process during which not a single order of new clients was won, and revenue in millions evaporated.
According to a new report, Samsung plans to cut its losses and shift its focus to its second-generation 2nm node, which will be utilized for a forthcoming Exynos SoC codenamed ‘Ulysses,’ intended for the Galaxy S27.
More About the Samsung ‘Ulysses’ Exynos Chip
Beyond this Sedaily report, Samsung had earlier entered 2nm tech development under the name ‘Thetis’, which could suggest Ulysses may be a variant of that advanced manufacturing process. Based on the most recent information, it looks like Samsung will go for a slightly improved variant of this 2nm process called SF2P with its next Exynos generation to further improve performance and power efficiency.
According to the report, it says that its first-generation 2nm process is currently going on development and wafer production likely starts in early 2026. For the next-generation evoking SF2P, ST aims to deliver 12% more performance than is achieved by this initial design while slashing power consumption by a quarter and reducing size 8%. Samsung’s foundry, responsible for large-scale wafer production, is currently testing chips and validating designs to allow for future improvements.
Despite Samsung’s ambitious plans to advance its lithography technology, success hinges on its ability to enhance yields—a challenge yet to be overcome with the 3nm GAA. The company has taken steps to revive its foundry business by reducing executive positions and focusing on profitability, indicating that it recognizes the necessary changes. While there were rumors that Qualcomm intended to partner with Samsung for the mass production of next year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, this is contingent on the foundry successfully addressing its yield issues.
