Alphabet’s Google is reportedly negotiating with Samsung Electronics to produce components for its upcoming artificial intelligence processor, according to a Thursday report from The Information citing sources with knowledge of the discussions.
The arrangement would have Taiwan’s TSMC manufacturing the primary portion of the processor, which carries the internal designation ‘Icefish,’ while Samsung would handle production of a specialized component responsible for memory connectivity using its advanced 2-nanometer manufacturing process, sources indicated.
The semiconductor sector continues to face significant production constraints as TSMC, the globe’s leading contract chip manufacturer, struggles to meet escalating demand and prevent supply chain disruptions during the current artificial intelligence expansion.
Google has been working to develop its proprietary AI processors as competitive alternatives to Nvidia’s market-leading graphics processing units, with tensor processing unit sales contributing significantly to the company’s cloud computing revenue growth.
The ‘Icefish’ processor remains in development phases and may begin large-scale manufacturing by 2028, The Information reported.
Earlier this week, The Information disclosed that Google was discussing with Intel the production of over three million TPUs scheduled for 2028, according to industry sources.
Alphabet has not yet provided comment on the report, while Samsung Electronics was unavailable for immediate response outside standard business hours. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the information.
