UPDATE 12/3/2025: Samsung has reached out to us to pass along the following statement. “Recent reports that Samsung’s DS division has rejected certain customer requests are baseless and not true. We are in close communication with global customers to address industry needs.”
The original story is as follows:
An intra-company squabble is taking place at Samsung. The latter’s DS semiconductor unit has shockingly refused an order from Sammy’s Mobile Experience (MX) business segment for more than a year’s supply of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chips for Galaxy handsets. These are the chips that store the data and programming codes for all of the apps that you currently have open on your phone.
What DRAM chips do for your phone,
LPDDR (Low-Power Double Data Rate) memory helps with the multitasking capabilities, performance, and even the battery life of a phone. When you open an app on your phone, the app’s core program code and active data moves from slower UFS (Universal Flash Storage) and NAND flash storage to the faster (yet battery efficient) LPDDR DRAM. This allows the CPU to process the data instantly and open apps without a lag.
Samsung had to call in executives to ease the tension between divsions
Samsung’s DS unit produces DRAM chips for smartphones. | Image credit-Samsung
The Mobile Experience unit (MX) was able to guarantee a supply of the much-needed DRAM chips only for the fourth quarter which started in October and concludes at the end of December. The DS division does have the right to refuse the MX division’s request to supply it for more than a year.
Samsung, as a company, will be in the chips next year
Samsung is expected to be in the chips with its chips business next year. Besides taking advantage of rising DRAM and NAND flash storage prices, Samsung Foundry will ship 2nm Gate-all-around (GAA) chips such as the home-grown Exynos 2600 application processor (AP), which is expected to power the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ in Europe and South Korea.
