(TechGenez) – Samsung Electronics is in advanced discussions with Anthropic to produce the company’s next-gen AI chips using its cutting-edge 2-nanometer foundry process and advanced packaging facilities.
The potential deal would mark a major new customer win for Samsung’s foundry business, which is aggressively courting big tech clients in a bid to close the gap with TSMC and return to profitability.
Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI models, has not yet reached detailed design or manufacturing stages for its chips. However, the discussions are part of a broader push by Anthropic to secure reliable advanced manufacturing capacity.
Strategic Importance
Samsung’s foundry division has been working hard to diversify its customer base beyond traditional memory customers. The company is already engaged with major names including Tesla, Nvidia, and Apple in its advanced chip and packaging pipeline.
A deal with Anthropic would further strengthen Samsung’s position in the high-demand AI chip market, where tight supplies of advanced process and packaging capacity are driving customers to seek alternatives to TSMC.
Samsung Foundry President Han Jin-man told employees last month that the business could return to profit by 2028, citing improvements in yields, expanded customer adoption, and greater competitiveness in leading-edge nodes.
Industry Context
Anthropic’s potential move comes amid a wave of AI companies seeking diversified chip supply chains. The U.S. firm raised $65 billion in its latest funding round at a $965 billion valuation, positioning itself as one of the most valuable private AI companies.
The reported discussions align with Anthropic’s earlier indication that its Series H funding included strategic infrastructure partners among the world’s three major memory chipmakers. While those partners were expected to supply both memory and logic chips, the latest reports raise the possibility that custom AI chip production could also become part of the collaboration.
Samsung accounts for approximately 4% of the global “Foundry 2.0” market, according to Counterpoint Research, far behind TSMC’s 38% share but showing rapid growth in advanced nodes.
Challenges and Outlook
- Samsung’s foundry business has faced years of losses but is expected to narrow those deficits in the second half of 2026, thanks to strong HBM4 base-die demand and new advanced-node orders.
- A successful partnership with Anthropic would provide the company with a high-profile reference customer and additional revenue stream in the fast-growing AI chip market.
- Both companies remain in early stages of discussion. A final agreement would depend on commercial terms, regulatory approvals, and technical feasibility, which has not yet been confirmed.
Conclusion
Samsung’s reported talks with Anthropic to produce advanced AI chips represent a significant potential expansion of its foundry business into the AI era. As the company works to regain profitability and strengthen its position against TSMC, securing a major AI customer like Anthropic could accelerate its ambitions in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.
