Samsung may supply the improved 8nm chip for Nintendo's Switch 2 Lite

TL;DR

Nintendo is reportedly working on a cheaper Switch 2 Lite handheld, though it has not been officially confirmed.

A new report says its chip could use Samsung's upcoming 8LPU+ process, which may improve performance, power use, and chip area.

The current Switch 2 already uses Samsung-made T239 silicon, so a lower-cost Lite version could reuse that platform with fewer GPU cores.

Nintendo is reportedly developing a Switch 2 Lite handheld console that will be more affordable than its other Switch consoles.

Samsung is a key supply chain partner for the company, and a new report suggests that the Switch 2 Lite's chipset may be produced on Samsung's upcoming 8LPU+ manufacturing process.

Nintendo Switch 2's chipset is already made by Samsung

The existing Nintendo Switch 2 console runs on NVIDIA's T239 chipset which is manufactured on Samsung's 8nm-class technology. This chipset has eight ARM Cortex-A78 CPU cores as well as an Ampere GPU with 1,536 CUDA cores.

As the existing Switch 2 chip is based on NVIDIA's previous-generation Ampere GPU architecture, there's certainly room for improvement. It doesn't need to go with an entirely different chipset for the Switch 2 Lite, but a toned down version with fewer GPU cores and cost-effective manufacturing might be suitable for the cheaper console.

Samsung's 8LPU+ technology might be the perfect fit, as the company claims it delivers 12% performance improvement, 15% reduction in power consumption with an 8% smaller logic area compared to the 8LPU process. Nintendo hasn't confirmed as yet if there is going to be a Switch 2 Lite, so these are just rumors for now until something emerges from official channels.

Adnan Farooqui - Executive Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-E900

Adnan Farooqui is a long-term writer at SamMobile. Based in Pakistan, his interests include technology, finance, Swiss watches and Formula 1. His tendency to write long posts betrays his inclination to being a man of few words.

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