Since 2022, Samsung has equipped its Exynos chips with the Xclipse GPU based on the RDNA architecture by AMD. But this arrangement between the two companies may be coming to an end. A recent report claims that the South Korean tech giant has “confirmed” that it will be releasing a chipset that features its own independently developed GPU. And it is slated to happen as soon as 2027.
This comes via Korean news site The Korea Economic Daily, citing industry sources. The self-made GPU will be used in the tentatively named Exynos 2800 chipset. Per the report, Samsung is making this move as the importance of GPUs rise alongside the ability for smart devices to do AI computing on-device. In line with this, making GPUs in-house is also claimed to benefit the optimisation between software and hardware.
In addition to benefitting its own devices, developing its own GPU architecture also grants Samsung other benefits. Among them is letting the company expand its application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) business. Or in other words, letting it design chips for other customers. The report brings up also Broadcom as an example of this.
Another report by The Korea Herald claims that this transition started back in 2023, with Samsung hiring “seasoned GPU engineers”. But more recently, the company has also recently added, John Rayfield, formerly VP of GPU architecture in AMD, to its payroll.
(Source: The Korea Economic Daily, The Korea Herald)
