Samsung wins key 5G chip contract

Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor manufacturing division has won a contract to make new Qualcomm X60 chips using its most advanced chip-making technology.

Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor manufacturing division has won a contract to make new Qualcomm chips using its most advanced chip-making technology, two sources said, boosting the Korean firm’s efforts to gain market share against rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.

Samsung will fabricate at least some of Qualcomm’s X60 modem chips, which will connect devices such as smartphones to 5G wireless data networks. The X60 will be made on Samsung’s 5nm (five nanometre) process, the sources said, which makes the chips smaller and more power-efficient than previous generations.