While Samsung is reportedly optimizing the upcoming Exynos 2500 chip for a launch in the second half of 2025, the company is also working hard to improve the manufacturing process for the future Exynos 2600 solution. Reports say Samsung has achieved a higher-than-expected yield in an initial test run earlier this week.

Samsung Foundry is performing production test runs for the Exynos 2600 chip using the SF2 (2nm) technology. According to the Korean media (The Bell), citing unnamed industry sources, Samsung achieved a production yield of around 30% in an Exynos 2600 production test run on February 6.

Given how early the Exynos 2600 is in the testing process, a production yield of roughly 30% exceeded expectations. A 30% yield means that roughly 30% of all chips manufactured on the wafer are viable. 30% is not good enough for a full production run, but it is a great start for Samsung's 2nm process, and the yield should steadily improve.

But what about the Exynos 2500 and its delays? Well, the Exynos 2500 is a 3nm chip, not a 2nm chip. In other words, the two are developed in parallel, but because the production of the Exynos 2500 chip already suffered from delays, Samsung can't afford another pushback and is trying to ensure that everything goes smoothly for the Exynos 2600.

The company knows that if both chips get delayed, it could be disastrous and lead to significant operating losses. One delay for the Exynos 2500 is enough, and Samsung is doing all it can to avoid further pushbacks for the Exynos 2600 SoC and its 2nm SF2 process.

Compared to SF3, SF2 GAA (Gate All Around) technology is said to improve chip performance by 12% and power efficiency by 25%.

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