The Exynos 2600 AP is not hot and that is cool
Samsung has added a "Heat Path Block" to the Exynos 2600 AP to transfer heat and make the chip cooler.
Samsung's homemade Exynos chips used to have a bad reputation. The chips' propensity to get hot was a big problem. But the new Exynos 2600 application processor (AP) has not only generated strong benchmark results but also has managed to be cool thanks to the Heat Pass Block (HPB). According to a book pretending to be a tweet sent by "leaker" Jukan05, the Heat Pass Block, introduced with the Exynos 2600, is going to be offered by Samsung to other firms.
The Heat Pass Block will help the Exynos 2600 stay cool
Made out of copper, the HPB is a heat sink that is placed on top of the AP. In the packaging for existing Exynos APs, the DRAM was placed on top of the AP. This was changed, and for the Exynos 2600 Samsung moved the DRAM to the side. This allows the AP and HPB to make direct contact so the heat from the AP can be transferred to the base of the heat sink via thermal conduction. Thanks to the heat sink, the "thermal characteristics" of the Exynos 2600 AP is 30% cooler compared to previous Exynos chips.
Semiconductors are designed to throttle their performance once a certain temperature is reached. Did you ever play a game on your phone for a long time and feel that the device was starting to get sluggish and suffer from lags in performance? For that, you can blame the heat. As Jukan05 says in his lengthy tweet, "excellent heat dissipation technology is required to increase the duration of the mobile AP's maximum performance and maximize the user's perceived performance."
Some Galaxy S26 models will be the first powered by a 2nm chip
Jukan05's tweet quotes a source familiar with the matter who said, "Samsung Electronics has decided to support its self-developed HPB packaging technology for other potential customers such as Qualcomm and Apple. Demand for this technology has already grown in the market, with the Samsung MX Division, the final customer of mobile APs, requiring heat dissipation packaging at the HPB level from Qualcomm as well."
According to the "leaker," it's the HPB and the improvement in the thermal characteristics of the AP that has helped Samsung make the decision to bring back an Exynos AP for its flagship Galaxy S26 series in Europe, South Korea, and in developing markets. The U.S., China, and Japan will get units powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 APs. Here's an interesting fact that you can share at the local watering hole. Those Galaxy S26 models equipped with the Exynos 2600 AP will be the first smartphones to use a 2nm chip.
The Galaxy S26 series will be the first smartphones powered by a chip using "Gate-All-Around" transistors
They will also be the first smartphones to sport Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors, which uses the gate to cover all four sides of the channel. This reduces current leaks and improves the drive current. The result is an application processor with more performance but also featuring more energy efficiency. It should be noted that Samsung already used GAA transistors with the 3nm Exynos W1000 chip, which powers 2024's Galaxy Watch 7 series.
Samsung Foundry Sets Out to Expand Mobile AP Orders with Heat-Controlling Technology
Samsung Electronics Foundry has unveiled a new technology to expand orders for mobile application processors (APs). The core of this initiative is resolving heat generation, which is considered…— Jukan (@jukan05) December 11, 2025
Samsung is hoping to generate more business for Samsung Foundry by using the HPB in an attempt to get Apple and Qualcomm to leave TSMC for Samsung Foundry. Apple has been using the Taiwan based contract semiconductor manufacturer since it built the A10 for Apple in 2016. And as we've pointed out many times, pathetically low yields forced Qualcomm to leave Samsung Foundry in 2022. The San Diego-based Qualcomm redesigned the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 AP and had TSMC build it as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
Samsung Foundry has reportedly solved the problems it was having with yield and combined with the HPB, this could give the company an opportunity to lure customers away from TSMC and improve Samsung Foundry's Q2 market share of 7.3% well behind TSMC's industry leading 70.2% market share.
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