On December 19, the world-leading South Korean chipmaker Samsung Electronics officially disclosed that its Exynos 2600 mobile application processor has entered mass production, making it the world's first commercially manufactured mobile SoC built on a 2-nanometer process.

According to Samsung, Exynos 2600 is scheduled to debut in the company's next-generation flagship smartphone lineup, the Galaxy S26, expected to launch in February next year. The move is widely seen as an effort to reduce reliance on externally sourced mobile processors while simultaneously demonstrating Samsung Foundry's advanced-node manufacturing and yield capabilities.

The Exynos 2600 adopts Samsung's 2nm gate-all-around process and features a 10-core CPU based on Arm's latest architecture. Compared with its predecessor, the chip delivers up to 39% higher CPU performance and more than doubles generative AI processing performance through a significantly enhanced NPU, Samsung said.

Thermal performance has been a longstanding weakness of the Exynos lineup, but Samsung claims the new chip addresses this issue through the first mobile implementation of Heat Path Block (HPB) technology, reducing thermal resistance by up to 16% and improving stability under sustained workloads. The processor also supports ultra-high-resolution camera sensors and enhanced AI-based imaging capabilities.

Industry observers note that successful deployment of Exynos 2600 would allow Samsung to achieve a dual objective: lowering component procurement costs for its mobile business while strengthening confidence in its foundry unit, which has struggled in recent years after losing advanced-node orders from major customers such as Qualcomm.

Separately, Samsung also recently unveiled SOCAMM2, a modular LPDDR5X-based memory solution designed for AI data center platforms. Developed in collaboration with ecosystem partners including Nvidia, the compression-attached memory module aims to improve bandwidth-per-watt and serviceability for inference-heavy AI servers, reflecting Samsung's broader push to expand its footprint across advanced logic and AI infrastructure markets.

Analysts believe that if Exynos 2600 performs as expected in commercial smartphones, it could accelerate Samsung Foundry's recovery and improve its prospects for securing additional advanced-process customers in the coming years.