On July 15, reports surfaced indicating that, due to the soaring demand for AI technologies, bottlenecks in semiconductor production have now extended into the design phase. In response, Samsung Electronics is contemplating outsourcing the backend design work for Google's TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) I/O chips, which are based on the advanced 2nm process. This move aims to address the shortage of skilled labor caused by increased production at its chip manufacturing facilities.

The TPU is composed of a computing processor and an I/O chip, with the latter being responsible for data transmission. To manage this outsourcing, Samsung is considering partnerships with three South Korean semiconductor design service companies: AD Technology, Gaonchips, and Alphachips. Furthermore, Samsung is also tasked with the backend development of Tesla's autonomous driving chips, Anthropic's self-developed AI chips, and products from the South Korean startup DeepX.

Industry insiders have noted that TSMC's production capacity is currently stretched to its limits, leading some orders to be redirected to Samsung. This shift has further intensified the scarcity of backend design resources.