Samsung is making an Exynos satellite chip for SpaceX

After securing a massive order from Tesla to make advanced chips, Samsung is trying to strengthen its partnership with Elon Musk’s companies. A report reveals that Samsung is designing an advanced Exynos modem chip that could significantly enhance the speed of phone connections with SpaceX’s satellites.

A report from KED Global claims that Samsung is developing an Exynos modem chip for direct satellite connectivity. This chip reportedly features a built-in NPU (AI accelerator) that significantly speeds up device connections to low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites compared to existing chips. This innovation eliminates the need for ground-based base stations.

Samsung executives reportedly met with SpaceX officials to discuss the new chip and share its technical details and development progress.

Compared to existing LEO connectivity chips, the upcoming Exynos modem is said to feature 55x faster beam identification and 42x faster channel prediction. This results in much faster satellite path tracking. So, it can predict satellite trajectories and optimize the signal in real-time, offering higher data transfer speeds.

Samsung is aiming to supply this Exynos modem for SpaceX’s 6G non-terrestrial network (NTN). SpaceX intends to utilize this 6G NTN network to connect the entire globe. The network will offer uninterrupted and low-latency connectivity for autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.

Direct satellite networks could replace traditional cellular networks in the future, potentially becoming a $540 billion industry by 2040. Therefore, the success of Samsung’s Exynos modem chip is crucial for maintaining its leadership position in the mobile ecosystem.