According to a recent report, Google is actively engaged in replacing Samsung with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for the development of its forthcoming Tensor G5 chip.
Initially, Google had intended to introduce its “first fully customized chip” for Pixel smartphones in 2024. However, due to missed trial production deadlines and feature reductions, codenamed “Redondo,” the project was handed over to TSMC earlier this year. The current report indicates that the chip will not be ready for mass production by 2024, and Redondo is now being utilized as a test chip for the next generation.
Scheduled for a 2025 release, the upcoming chip, Laguna, under the branding of Tensor G5, will be manufactured using TSMC’s 3-nanometer process, incorporating Integrated Fan-Out technology for enhanced power efficiency and reduced thickness.
While Google continues to collaborate with Samsung for the design and manufacturing of next year’s Tensor chip, it has been gradually replacing Samsung components, including communications, audio, image processing, and graphics processing, with its proprietary intellectual property in each successive generation.
Over the past two years, several Tensor chips have been canceled, coinciding with rumors of a Tensor-powered Pixelbook that was eventually scrapped last year. An ex-Google chip executive with direct knowledge of the project highlighted challenges in coordinating work between the United States and India, where the majority of the Tensor silicon engineers are based, as well as high turnover within the team as contributing factors to the delay in launching fully custom Tensors.
The same former executive expressed skepticism regarding Google’s significant investment in custom chips, considering that Pixel has yet to achieve substantial sales volume.