Again, I’m not quite sure what you’re asking, but nothing has changed from the community FAQ.
If you want to use matter devices in the smartthings app, then, yes, you must have a smartthings matter controller. That can be a smartthings V2 hub.
if you want to use a Matter over thread device in the smartthings app, then you must also have a thread border router available. If you have a V2 hub as your matter controller, the thread border router can be a different device on the same Wi-Fi. Including an Apple HomePod mini. Or some of the Apple TV models.
please read the community FAQ. It will answer the questions.
(And I strongly recommend not relying on AI for this kind of question. They get a lot of stuff wrong when it gets into these technical areas.)