● Samsung Breaks Free, Billion-Dollar GPU Revolt
Wait a moment before reading this!If you think this is just obvious news about Samsung Electronics making a new chip and skip it, you could miss a really big opportunity.Amid the 1300 trillion won scale semiconductor war currently shaking the global capital markets, we analyzed the real reason Samsung declared ‘complete technological independence’ escaping the shadows of Nvidia, Qualcomm, and AMD, and the astronomical economic effects that will result from it.In particular, we have included the ‘Memory Wall’ and Samsung’s winning strategy that others don’t know well, and even the specific timing of when we should change our smartphones, so please stay focused until the end.
A 1300 Trillion Won Gambit to Flip the Board! Samsung Electronics’ In-house GPU Development and the Prelude to the AI Semiconductor War
1. Nvidia’s Solo Run and the ‘Rebellion’ of Big Tech Companies
The current global AI semiconductor market is, to put it coldly, under the dictatorship of Nvidia.As of 2025, their AI chip market share approaches a staggering 90%.This means that 9 out of 10 AI semiconductors circulating in the market are Nvidia products.Nvidia’s revenue exploded more than twofold in just one year, from $27 billion in 2023 to $60 billion in 2024.
However, the problems are ‘price’ and ‘supply shortage’.The flagship H100 chip costs over 40 million won for a single unit, and Big Tech companies need to buy tens of thousands of them.Building a single data center costs 400 billion won just for the chips.Moreover, they are in a ‘Super-A (dominant supplier)’ position where buyers have to wait a year to receive goods even after paying.What is more serious is the lock-in effect caused by the software ecosystem called ‘CUDA’, where changing chips requires rewriting all code.
Eventually, global Big Techs like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft staged a rebellion, saying “We can’t take it anymore.”A massive global economic trend is forming where Google develops TPUs, Amazon develops Trainium, and MS develops Maia to reduce reliance on Nvidia.
2. Samsung’s Decision: Parting Ways with AMD, and ‘Standing Alone’
Amid this flow, Samsung Electronics has finally drawn its sword.Previously, to supplement the graphic performance (GPU) of its mobile AP ‘Exynos’, which was Samsung’s sore thumb, it had collaborated with AMD.To use an easy analogy, it’s like Hyundai Motor making the exterior themselves but borrowing the engine blueprints from Toyota.The problem arising from this process was the massive ‘royalty leakage’.
Let’s assume the royalty paid to AMD per chip is around 500~1000 won.If Samsung sells 200 million Galaxies annually and we assume the Exynos share is only half, tens of billions of won flow into AMD every year, amounting to hundreds of billions over 5 years.A bigger problem is that due to performance issues, more than 70% of Galaxy’s premium line must use the competitor Qualcomm’s Snapdragon.Since one Qualcomm chip costs about 250,000 won, the money leaking here amounts to 5 trillion won annually.Money that should have gone into my pocket was only fattening the competitor.
Therefore, Samsung made a bombshell declaration that starting in December 2025, it would ditch AMD GPUs and mount a 100% independently developed proprietary GPU on the next Exynos.This is not simply component development, but a business revolution to overhaul the cost structure where trillions of won leak annually.
3. ‘Apple M1’s’ Success Formula and Samsung’s Economic Value
Behind Samsung’s decision lies Apple’s success story.When Apple ditched Intel chips and released its own ‘M1’ chip, everyone said they would fail, but the result was a huge success.Stock prices doubled, and by saving the royalties paid to Intel, the operating profit margin skyrocketed.This is the tremendous economic moat that ‘brain independence’ brings.
Samsung is also aiming for this scenario.If they can raise performance to Qualcomm’s level with their own GPU, they can significantly increase the Exynos market share, which is currently at the 30% level.They will be able to save nearly 1 trillion won in cash annually, including 800 billion won to be paid to Qualcomm and 70 billion won in AMD royalties.This cost reduction effect will be a decisive financial trigger to turn the system semiconductor division, which was suffering from deficits, into a surplus by 2027.
4. [Key Takeaway Analysis] Samsung’s Unique Special Move Not Mentioned in the News: The Collapse of the ‘Memory Wall’
This is the truly important part.This is content not well covered by other media, but Samsung Electronics’ unique weapon is that it is a company that possesses both ‘Memory’ and ‘Logic’.
In the AI era, the speed of moving data is more important than calculation speed.This is called the ‘Memory Wall’ problem.70% of AI computation time is spent waiting for data, and half of a smartphone battery is used to move data.
Apple also succeeded with the ‘Unified Memory’ structure, but Apple is in a position where it buys memory and assembles it.On the other hand, Samsung possesses the world’s No. 1 memory semiconductor technology.It is the only company on Earth that can attach its own highest-grade low-power DRAM to the GPU it designed itself in the most optimized way.
If this succeeds, data transmission bandwidth can break through to double, and battery efficiency can increase by more than 1.5 times.In other words, it means they can create a gap that other companies cannot catch up to in structural On-Device AI optimization beyond hardware spec competition.
5. Future Outlook: Autonomous Driving, Foundry, and Consumer Choice
This technology does not end with smartphones.When Tesla or Google says “Make our own AI chip for us,” a ‘turnkey service’ that handles everything from design to memory and manufacturing (foundry) at once becomes possible.The reason why the possibility of cooperation on autonomous driving chips with China’s BYD is being discussed is also due to Samsung’s independent GPU capability.Amid the hegemony war between the US and China, Samsung’s geopolitical and security value, capable of handling all these processes under one roof, will rise even further.
Finally, here is a tip for consumers.When should you change your Galaxy?The Galaxy S26, coming out in 2026, is highly likely to apply transitional technology.The real complete form is the Galaxy S27 to be released in 2027.At this time, as the ‘Exynos 2800’ with Samsung’s proprietary architecture is applied, you will be able to experience the pinnacle of true technological independence with dramatically improved battery efficiency and AI speed.
If the gamble Samsung threw in this 1300 trillion won battlefield works, the dream of a stock price rise that we have been waiting for so long could become a reality.
< Summary >
- Background: Against Nvidia’s monopoly (90% market share) and price skyrocketing, global Big Techs and Samsung Electronics have started ‘Semiconductor Self-reliance’.
- Samsung’s Strategy: Ending the GPU alliance with AMD and declaring a 100% independently developed GPU, aiming to reduce annual costs of about 1 trillion won paid to Qualcomm/AMD and improve profitability.
- Hidden Competitiveness: As the world’s only integrated memory + logic company, Samsung can best solve the ‘Memory Wall’ phenomenon, the core of the AI era, by optimizing its own GPU and memory.
- Consumer Tip: It is recommended to wait until 2027 (Galaxy S27, Exynos 2800 equipped) when technological perfection is expected to reach its peak.
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*Source: 신사임당
