Qualcomm tipped to debut its own 2nm chipsets in 2026

Right now, chipmakers are building the best smartphone chipsets in the world using the 3nm process. This includes Apple’s A18 Pro, found in the iPhone 16 series, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, used in the majority of flagship phones launched since late 2024. But come 2026, we can look forward to more chipsets from Qualcomm built on the 2nm process.

Qualcomm wants 2nm chips too

According to an earlier report, Apple will use TSMC’s 2nm process to manufacture the chipsets for its iPhone 18 series. Now, according to tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Qualcomm is expected to follow suit. The company will apparently use TSMC’s 2nm process for its 2026 flagship chipsets, which presumably will be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3.

The post mentions two Qualcomm chipsets—SM8950 and SM8945. Based on the naming scheme, the SM8950 is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3. The latter, however, could be a slightly less powerful variant, maybe the Snapdragon 8s Gen 5, or whatever Qualcomm plans to name its chipset.

Right now, TSMC is the only company capable of producing chipsets using the 2nm process. However, Samsung could catch up soon. Recent reports claim that Samsung’s first test of its 2nm process has yielded promising results. Still, many big companies, such as Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and NVIDIA, rely heavily on TSMC.

But if Samsung can get its 2nm process up to scale, it could win some of those customers over, especially if these companies are looking to diversify their manufacturing partners to reduce over-reliance on one of them.

Why going 2nm is a big deal

Right now, you’ve come across articles talking about the manufacturing process. People often throw around terms like 2nm and 3nm, but the real question is: why do they matter? Basically, the smaller the process used, the more transistors can fit into the same space. It’s like silicon-carbon batteries, which hold a higher capacity despite being the same size as traditional lithium-ion cells.

More transistor density increases the raw power available, which can be useful for advanced artificial intelligence features. The smaller size translates into less energy consumption. This can result in our mobile devices becoming more energy efficient and lasting longer on a single charge.

That said, making chips on the 2nm process costs a lot. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if companies like TSMC raise their prices for customers, who could then pass those costs down to consumers.

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