Qualcomm Unsure About Mass Producing The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 On 3nm Process Due To High Price, Apple’s A17 Bionic To Gain An Edge

As 5G networks become the dominant wireless technology of the future, smartphone manufacturers are seeking smaller and more efficient processors to power their handsets. It looks like Apple is positioning itself to gain an edge in this arena, as they’ve recently announced their A17 Bionic processor which was built using a 5nm process. This announcement has caused some concern for tech giant Qualcomm, who has been hesitant to move forward with mass production of their Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor due to its high price tag when manufactured using a 3nm process.

The advantages of building a processor with a smaller nanometer process are numerous. Smaller manufacturing nodes allow companies to pack more transistors into a smaller area, resulting in improved performance and increased battery life. It’s one of the key benefits of the 5nm process that has propelled the A17 Bionic processor ahead of the Dragon 8 Gen 3.

Qualcomm has been considering moving their processor to a 3nm process in order to potentially provide better performance than the A17 Bionic, but such an endeavor would come at a cost. The estimated cost of mass producing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 at a 3nm process is significantly higher than that of the A17 Bionic, which could be a deciding factor for Qualcomm and effectively give Apple an edge.

At this time, it’s uncertain if Qualcomm will move forward with the 3nm process. The high cost of manufacturing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 could ultimately hold them back, leaving Apple’s A17 Bionic with a significant lead in the 5G market. However, many believe that Qualcomm will be able to bring the cost of the 3nm process down to a level where they can compete with the A17 Bionic processor, allowing them to stay in the 5G race.

Only time will tell how this plays out, but it’s clear that the competition between Qualcomm and Apple’s A17 Bionic processor is just getting started. If Qualcomm is able to bring the cost of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 down to a level where mass production on a 3nm process is feasible, then the 5G race between these two industry giants is sure to bring tremendous advancements to the world of mobile device technology.