Recent rumors suggest that Qualcomm has planned to switch to TSMC’s 2nm N2P process for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip – a chip rumored to support LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage. However, Commercial Times reports that MediaTek has also joined this trend, choosing to release the Dimensity 9600 chip using the same lithography technology. The Taiwanese company previously announced the completion of its first 2nm chip tape-out, expected to launch in late 2026. Although another leak expert has dismissed this information, claiming that Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek will launch SoCs on the standard 2nm N2 node, many reports are currently leaning towards Android chipmakers switching to TSMC’s enhanced N2P variant. This move indicates that the technological race between Android chipmakers and Apple is entering a fierce new phase, where whoever holds the superior manufacturing process will have the advantage.
Why must Android rivals choose the enhanced 2nm N2P process?
The reason why Apple‘s rivals are choosing TSMC’s 2nm N2P process (expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2026) may be to seek a distinct advantage in the lithography technology race. Using the same manufacturing process (such as the standard N2) is not enough to provide an advantage to Qualcomm and MediaTek, as Apple’s experience in developing in-house CPU and GPU cores has already surpassed its competitors.
The reason is simple: Apple has been developing in-house chipsets for many years and possesses a team of talented engineers who have designed custom CPU and GPU cores that are superior to competitors. For example, the efficiency cores of this year’s A19 Pro chip delivered up to 29% better performance without increasing power consumption. This is an incredible achievement in the chip industry. Qualcomm has only recently entered the “game” of designing its own cores, thanks to the Nuvia acquisition. Accordingly, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is only the company’s second smartphone SoC to use entirely in-house CPU cores.
Meanwhile, the Dimensity 9500 chip still relies on standard ARM CPU and GPU designs. This helps MediaTek reduce production costs, but at the cost of slower performance and lower energy efficiency compared to Apple’s chips.
TSMC and the 2nm process supply scarcity strategy
Another reason why Qualcomm and MediaTek might choose TSMC’s enhanced 2nm N2P wafers is that Apple has previously been reported to have secured more than half of the initial 2nm supply to block competitors. The fact that Qualcomm and MediaTek must search for “crumbs” in this manner makes switching to the N2P node a viable alternative.
Using the enhanced N2P process could provide Android chipmakers with the opportunity to receive chip supplies faster or be less affected by the N2 supply scarcity that Apple has monopolized. Analysts estimate that TSMC’s 2nm process will be a scarce resource next year, with manufacturers expected to produce only 15,000 to 20,000 wafers per month by the end of 2025. This limited supply further drives the race to find priority manufacturing processes.
Currently, we cannot confirm whether Commercial Times is repeating old information, but this is the first time this news outlet has mentioned MediaTek. We recommend that readers treat this information as a reference. However, the shift to N2P clearly shows that Android chipmakers are trying to gain a technological advantage to catch up with the superior performance of Apple Silicon, especially regarding energy efficiency.
