Qualcomm may not serve as one of the top-five clients for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in the second half of 2015 as the US-based chipmaker has placed more 14nm orders with Samsung Electronics, while giving more 28nm orders to United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), according to industry sources.

Qualcomm's decision may aim to reduce its reliance on TSMC and to avoid its previous experience of not being able to gain enough 28nm foundry capacity from TSMC, the sources noted.

On the other hand, Qualcomm is giving 14nm process orders to Samsung in order to win back more chipset solution orders from the Korea-based handset vendor which has been ramping up its self-sufficiency rate for chipset production, said the sources.

Qualcomm also has a reason to place 28nm process orders with SMIC as it is trying to mend its relationship with the China government after it was fined US$975 million in a recent antitrust probe.

Since Qualcomm's annual revenues are almost equal to the combined sales of Broadcom, MediaTek, and ADM, TSMC's loss of 28nm orders to UMC and SMIC and the more advanced 14nm orders to Samsung may affect the global foundry landscape in the future, said the sources.