Google Shifts Focus to TSMC for Next-Gen Tensor Processors

Google is making a significant change in its chipset development strategy by choosing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) over Samsung’s foundry for the new Tensor processors. This shift is anticipated to commence with the Pixel 10 series, expected in 2025, and could carry on through to the Pixel 14 lineup by 2029.

Partnership with TSMC

According to a report by DigiTimes, Google has established a long-term collaboration with TSMC, indicating a robust investment in enhancing performance and reliability in future Pixel devices. Google officials have reportedly visited TSMC in Taiwan to outline multi-year collaborative plans, which may also involve potential joint efforts in cloud-based TPU chips, integrated circuit design, servers, and liquid cooling technologies.

Upcoming Tensor G5 Chip

The forthcoming Tensor G5 chip, likely making its debut in the Pixel 10 collection, is said to be codenamed “Laguna” and will utilise TSMC’s sophisticated 3nm N3E process. This upgrade represents a significant enhancement from the 4nm process previously utilised for the Tensor G4, produced by Samsung. This transition aims to resolve various ongoing performance challenges, such as thermal issues, power inefficiency, and varying yields.

Specifications of the Tensor G5

The Tensor G5 is speculated to include a new CPU arrangement featuring one Cortex-X4 core, five Cortex-A725 cores, and two Cortex-A520 cores, alongside Google’s proprietary TPU for AI and on-device handling tasks. The chip could also integrate an always-on compute (AoC) audio processor, the Google Emerald Hill memory co-processor, Google GXP (DSP), and the Google EdgeTPU. Anticipations are that it will feature a GPU from Imagination Technologies’ DXT selection.

Pixel 10 Series Models

It is believed that the Pixel 10 series will encompass four models: Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. By making the transition to TSMC, Google is likely striving to provide a more consistent flagship performance and ensure stable production timelines, especially as Samsung Foundry continues to navigate yield difficulties with its Exynos 2500 chips.

Competitive Positioning

This shift suggests that Google is positioning itself more vigorously in competition against other premium smartphone manufacturers while setting the stage for more ambitious hardware developments in the future.