An ad for Galaxy Unpacked 2026 is displayed in Los Angeles, Feb. 13. Samsung Electronics will reveal the Galaxy S26 series during the unveiling event in San Francisco on Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics’ non-memory semiconductor business is showing signs of a fast recovery, as its Exynos 2600 mobile application processor (AP) and high-bandwidth memory 4 (HBM4), produced using its foundry process, appear to be gaining traction in the market.

In particular, the Exynos 2600 is set to be featured in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, raising expectations that Samsung’s foundry and System Large-Scale Integration (LSI) units will accelerate efforts to overcome their long-standing losses.

According to semiconductor industry officials, the capacity utilization rate of Samsung’s advanced foundry lines recently reached 80 percent, far exceeding last year’s level, which remained below 50 percent.

Playing the most critical role in the improvement is Exynos 2600, which is designed by the company’s System LSI unit and fabricated by its Foundry unit.

For the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, which will be revealed during Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in San Francisco on Wednesday (local time), Samsung will feature Exynos 2600 for S26 and S26+ models along with Qualcomm APs.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon last year predicted that Snapdragon APs would account for 75 percent of the Galaxy S26 series. That suggests Exynos 2600 could take up roughly 25 percent of the lineup, a significant improvement from Exynos 2500, which failed to make it into the S25 series.

Exynos 2600 improved thermal management through technologies such as fan-out wafer-level packaging and a heat path block. Based on the improvements, it has posted strong results in early benchmark tests. If yields rise to a sufficient level, Samsung could further expand the share of its in-house Exynos chips in Galaxy S26, which is more cost-efficient for the company.

Along with Exynos, the Foundry unit’s production of base dies for HBM4, which began in late last year by the company’s memory division, has also contributed to the rise in utilization rates.

Samsung Electronics' high-bandwidth memory 4 / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Source: Korea Times News