Samsung Is Good, But TSMC Is Better: The Tensor G5 Will Be In Good Hands
Google decided to move away from Qualcomm’s chips and to their own custom-made solution in 2021, which was the Google Tensor. Google is a huge tech company but they don’t have their own facilities for producing silicon at such a technical level, so they partnered with Samsung to actually manufacture the silicon, but of course, they were limited by what Samsung’s technology is capable of.
The Tensor chips have never been the best performers when it comes to heat management and power efficiency, and it explains why it was a relatively big deal that the Tensor G4 is expected to make improvements on the heat management front. However, there’s still a lot that’s left to be desired and it likely explains why Google has decided to part ways with Samsung.
This switch to TSMC might mark the biggest leap in performance since the Tensor line was introduced if things go well. TSMC is a much more capable chip maker than Samsung is, and that’s extremely evident considering they’re responsible for making chips for Apple, Qualcomm, Intel, MediaTek, and so on. It’s not a big leap of faith to trust the fabricator that is expected to make the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
There Were Rumors Before, But Now, It Is All But Confirmed
There was a hint that TSMC was going to be making a chip for Google on its 3nm process, with the leak showing TSMC is expected to make TPU v6 for the tech giant. However, now, thanks to leaked trade records, it seems all but certain that Google will be making a massive shift in 2025.
Thanks to Android Authority, we were able to see a trade record showing Google shipping in a sample chip of what is assumed to be the Google Tensor G5. There’s a long description with a lot of random letters and words that are tough to decipher, but the original source was able to deduce that the chip being shipped was designated LGA (and we know the G5 is codenamed Laguna Beach). The same description shows “TSMC” as the manufacturer and the goods type as an SoC.
Using this, it’s pretty much all but confirmed that the Google Pixel 10 series is about to get a major boost in performance, and it might be worth waiting for that if you’ve had your eye on the Pixel 9 devices.
