Samsung may ditch AMD to build its own GPU for future Exynos chips
Samsung is reportedly preparing to end its GPU partnership with AMD and develop a fully in-house graphics architecture. The new GPU is expected to debut with the Exynos 2800 chip, likely powering the Galaxy S28 series.
New Delhi: Samsung might be planning a significant change in its approach to smartphone chips. The firm is said to be intending to terminate its multi-year-old graphics card deal with AMD and switch to an all-in-house graphics solution. In case this occurs, it would represent one of the largest internal technology transitions in Samsung's semiconductor business over the years.
According to industry insiders in South Korea, the shift might start with an Exynos processor that is expected later this decade. The relocation is an indication that Samsung wants to take ownership of additional fundamental technologies within its chips and lessen the dependence on external vendors, particularly performance-sensitive units, such as GPUs.
Exynos 2800 tipped to debut Samsung’s own GPU
The report claims that Samsung is working on an all-home-grown graphics core architecture. This would be released by the Exynos 2800 chipset. There is a high likelihood that the Galaxy S28 series will be powered by the processor and may be released in the year 2028.
To date, Samsung has used the RDNA graphics architecture of AMD on Exynos chips. All the Exynos 2200, 2400 and 2500 were based on GPUs developed by AMD. The future Exynos 2600 is reported to continue on the RDNA technology but is expected to be engineered in-house by the Samsung System LSI department. With the Exynos 2800, Samsung will start using an all-original design of the GPU.
Why this move matters for Samsung
The development of a GPU is very challenging. There are few companies that have managed to implement their own GPU architecture, such as AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. Should Samsung do this off, it would put the company in a highly exclusive category.
A homemade graphics card would also enable Samsung to maximise the performance, power consumption and software integration of Galaxy handsets and tablets. This would allow Exynos chips to compete better with Snapdragon processors by Qualcomm in gaming and AI activities.
Heavy hiring points to long-term plans
It has been reported that Samsung has been preparing this transition over the years. In the last three years, the semiconductor business of the company has recruited various GPU engineers whose yearly salary ranged between KRW 300 million and KRW 400 million. These amounts are equivalent to an approximate of $207,000 to $277,000 annually.
Soon after, Samsung employed John Rayfield, a renowned GPU expert who had served at AMD, Broadcom and Intel. His hiring further lends credence to the argument that Samsung takes the process of developing a graphics team that is widely regarded as world-class.
The in-house graphic processor at Samsung might not be confined to handhelds. It is also reported that the company might use it in autonomous vehicle platforms, humanoid robots and smart glasses. It has also been speculated that Samsung can apply the GPU architecture to custom ASICs to solve AI workloads.
When such plans become reality, Samsung may follow in the footsteps of such companies as Broadcom and Marvell, which create tailor-made chips for large technology companies. Although the time of arrival is extensive, the strategy argues that Samsung is targeting greater dominance of future computing platforms in various industries.