Google in talks with Samsung Foundry for next-gen TPU "Icefish" I/O die

What happened

Reports surfacing in the June 26-27 window indicate Google is finalizing a dual-source plan for its 10th-generation TPU codenamed "Icefish": TSMC produces the main compute die on 1.4nm while Samsung Foundry produces the I/O chiplet linking it to HBM on 2nm.

Context and impact

TSMC capacity is now the binding constraint of the AI buildout, and Google's willingness to split a flagship TPU between two foundries marks meaningful diversification of the leading-edge supply chain. Samsung's foundry is reportedly emerging from five quarters of losses on the back of AI-chip orders.

Details

• Codename: "Icefish" (Google's 10th-gen TPU)
• TSMC: 1.4nm compute die
• Samsung: 2nm I/O die linking TPU to HBM
• Samsung also reportedly in talks/orders with Nvidia, Tesla, AMD, BYD on sub-5nm nodes
• Samsung 2nm yields reportedly improving