ultimateimp – A new rumor circulating on Weibo suggests that the Exynos 2600 will be the first Samsung SoC to include a fully in-house GPU. This marks a major shift in the company’s chip design strategy. The upcoming GPU, likely called the Xclipse 960, is expected to break away from AMD’s RDNA architecture. Which has powered earlier Xclipse models. If accurate, this would be the first Exynos GPU not based on AMD’s IP.
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Xclipse 960 May Abandon RDNA Roots for New Direction
According to the leak, the Xclipse 960 will represent a departure from RDNA-based designs. Samsung’s current lineup, including the Xclipse 920, is built on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture. However, this next iteration might pivot to an entirely new foundation. While Samsung has not officially confirmed these changes, the rumor has credibility due to similar information in previous leaks. There’s also speculation that the Xclipse 960 could adopt a Mali-based architecture, similar to HiSilicon’s Maleoon GPU. Signaling a broader move away from licensing third-party GPU tech.
Huawei Expertise Boosts Samsung’s In-House GPU Project
Samsung is reportedly developing the Xclipse 960 with assistance from a former Huawei engineer experienced in GPU design. This expert was allegedly recruited to help Samsung overcome the complex challenges of building a graphics processor from scratch. Designing a GPU is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. Especially for a company like Samsung, which has traditionally relied on external GPU IP. Although Samsung has developed custom CPU cores in the past, such as the Mongoose project, this marks the first time it is applying that in-house philosophy to GPUs.
Performance Leak Hints at Modest CPU, Promising GPU
An earlier leak hinted at benchmark results for the Exynos 2600, revealing mixed performance metrics. The CPU, based on early Geekbench scores, appears to show limited gains, suggesting it may not outperform rival chips from Qualcomm or Apple. However, the Xclipse 960 GPU performance looks promising, potentially offering improvements in graphics rendering, gaming, and AI-based tasks. This could position the Exynos 2600 as a well-balanced SoC for Samsung’s future Galaxy devices, particularly in areas where GPU-intensive workloads are becoming more important.
What the Xclipse 960 Could Mean for Samsung’s Chip Strategy
If Samsung successfully launches the Exynos 2600 with a fully in-house GPU, it could be a turning point for the company’s semiconductor division. Moving away from AMD’s RDNA or ARM’s Mali IP would give Samsung more control over GPU optimization, efficiency, and feature development. It may also reduce licensing costs and help improve competitiveness in the high-performance SoC market. Whether the Xclipse 960 ultimately leans on existing architecture or emerges as a clean-sheet design, it’s clear Samsung is aiming to assert more independence in SoC development moving forward.
