Samsung Electronics is considering outsourcing backend design work for the I/O chip in Google’s 10th-generation TPU, code-named Icefish, according to BlockBeats.
The 2nm TPU consists of a Compute processor and an I/O chip. The Compute processor is expected to be manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) on a 1.4nm process, while the I/O chip would be produced by Samsung on 2nm and handle data transfer between the Compute processor and high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
Google is designing the chip together with MediaTek, and mass production could begin as early as 2028.
Rising 2nm orders are tightening Samsung’s staffing capacity
Samsung has recently seen a sharp increase in 2nm orders. In addition to Google and Tesla, it has also secured business from Anthropic and DeepX, leaving its available internal manpower under strain.
Samsung had previously handled backend design for Tesla’s 2nm autonomous driving chip with its own staff. With more projects coming in, the company is now considering handing off backend design work for Google’s TPU I/O chip to outside partners.
Three companies have been mentioned as possible outsourcing partners
The companies named as potential partners are ADTechnology, Gaonchips and Alphachips.
ADTechnology is focused on its 2nm CPU project, ADP620, with a goal of pushing annual revenue above 1 trillion won between 2028 and 2029. Gaonchips, for its part, is preparing to join South Korea’s roughly 800 billion won K-On-Device AI project led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and is working with Hyundai Motor and others on a 5nm ADAS chip.
Backend design is described as a relatively low-value service contract, typically worth tens of billions of won. That is well below the economics of full ASIC engagements covering design through tape-out, which can reach hundreds of billions of won to 1 trillion won. Because of that gap, ADTechnology and Gaonchips are said to be less enthusiastic and are only inclined to take on limited portions of the work to build track records in advanced-node projects.
Alphachips, in contrast, sees the Google TPU program as a growth driver and is more willing to participate.
Industry view points to TSMC’s 2nm capacity limits
Industry sources said that TSMC’s capacity bottleneck in the 2nm market has left it unable to absorb all demand, causing some orders to spill over to Samsung. That overflow is described as a deeper reason behind Samsung’s current staffing pressure.