Google Weighs Splitting AI Chip Production Between TSMC and Samsung

Google is exploring a partnership with Samsung to manufacture part of its next-generation AI chip, codenamed Icefish. The plan would see Google split production between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Samsung as it seeks additional capacity for future AI chips.

The chip, which is being developed as Google's 10th-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), is currently planned to enter mass production in 2028. TSMC would manufacture the primary compute component of the tensor processing unit using its upcoming 1.4-nanometer process technology, while Samsung would produce a separate memory-interface component using its advanced 2-nanometer process technology.

This arrangement would give Samsung an opportunity to showcase its manufacturing capabilities in a closely watched segment of the semiconductor industry. Securing work on Google's next-generation TPU would mark a significant win for Samsung's foundry efforts, as it has struggled to close the gap with TSMC in advanced chip manufacturing.