Samsung’s new “Vanguard” Exynos chip shows just how far it’s come

Samsung is working on a new Exynos processor codenamed Vanguard, even though its predecessor — the Exynos 2700 — hasn’t even come out yet. The company’s 2 nm yields, as well as the progress on its in-house processors, paint a picture that starkly contrasts with the condition that Samsung Foundry was in just a little over a year ago.

Exynos 2800 “Vanguard”

According to a report (translated source), Samsung is already working on the Exynos 2800, which it has named Vanguard, keeping in line with its tradition of naming its chips in an alphabetical order. Exynos 2700, codenamed Ulysses, is expected to go into mass production this year.

The company wishes to finalize work on the Exynos 2800 by the end of this year, however, and will be manufacturing it on a 2 nm process just like the Exynos 2600, albeit an improved one. This year’s Galaxy S26 series features the Exynos 2600 processor, though the Galaxy S26 Ultra models ship with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

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Postponed goals amidst rapid success

Just a while back in 2024, Samsung Foundry was struggling so badly that many analysts wondered aloud whether the entire operation was about to sink. The company’s 3 nm yield was unusable for mass production and passable 2 nm yield was out of the question.

Samsung turned things around so much that it has been receiving massive orders from major players in the industry since last year. After successfully improving its 3 nm yields, the company has now exceeded a 60 percent yield rate for its 2 nm manufacturing process according to a report (translated source).

In 2024, Samsung Foundry wanted to start manufacturing 1.4 nm chips in 2027. After all of the struggles that it has faced, the company is now focusing on perfecting what it has managed to accomplish before setting its sights that high again. For now, its plans for 1.4 nm chips have been postponed until 2029.

Samsung’s comeback of the ages

As someone who has been rooting for Exynos, Samsung Foundry’s success story is enough to bring a tear to my eyes. If the company is ever able to achieve better synergy between its hardware and software when using its own chips, we could very well see something approaching Apple silicon levels of efficiency.

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