Google, Tesla, and AMD Turn to Samsung for AI Chip Foundry Services
Alina Collins
Google, Tesla, AMD, and BYD have approached Samsung for AI chip foundry services, Nikkei Asia reports, as TSMC's advanced-node capacity stays stretched — this means Samsung's foundry business faces its biggest comeback window in the AI era.
Why are these big clients knocking on Samsung's door?
Surging AI compute demand has pushed TSMC's advanced nodes — the production lines that make the most powerful chips — past capacity.
This means → Google, Tesla, and AMD cannot wait in TSMC's queue. They need a second factory that can do the job.
Only two foundries worldwide can mass-produce at advanced nodes: TSMC and Samsung. In plain terms = the clients aren't choosing Samsung — they're out of alternatives.
Which companies are reaching out?
Nikkei Asia, citing people familiar with the matter, names Google, Tesla, AMD, and BYD.
The four span AI cloud computing, autonomous driving, GPUs, and electric vehicles — a broad cross-section.
This reflects a capacity bottleneck at TSMC that is not one industry's problem but a pain point across the entire AI supply chain.
Can Samsung actually deliver?
Samsung's foundry has long been criticized for low yield — the share of usable chips per production batch — which raises costs and delays shipments.
Google and AMD demand extreme consistency. Capacity alone is not enough; yield must keep pace.
This means → the incoming inquiries are Samsung's midterm exam: deliver stable volume production and it reclaims market share; fail, and the moment passes as a false dawn.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.