It might be the exclusive manufacturer of Apple’s A-series chips, but Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) isn’t raking in quite as much cash as expected. Or, at least, as much as analysts were hoping for.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has been the exclusive manufacturer of Apple’s A-series mobile chips since 2016, and it appears that this arrangement will continue on into 2019.
According to a new report, TSMC will be producing all of the orders for Apple’s A13 series chip next year, thereby continuing to cement its position as one of the most dominant chipmakers in the industry.
An employee of Apple chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has been charged with stealing secrets from the company, and trying to take these to a new job in China.
It’s just the latest in a string of examples of attempted industrial espionage that highlights the dark side of the rush to win orders from companies like Apple.
TSMC has produced every iPhone processor for several years, and is reportedly going to continue to be Apple’s sole source for chips.
Apple generally prefers to get components from multiple sources, but apparently no company — not even Samsung or Intel — can compete with TSMC. That makes the two companies very dependent on each other.
After being knocked out of commission over the weekend by a computer virus, iPhone chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) was back up and running on Monday.
According to the manufacturer, the problem was caused by a ransomware attack from the infamous WannaCry ransomware cryptoworm. This ransomware attack first struck in May 2017, requiring victims to pay a bitcoin ransom in order to decrypt their files.
A computer virus infected the fabrication tools and computers at TSMC’s factories that are likely producing Apple’s next-generation iPhone processors.
The company is still cleaning the malware off its equipment, but expects to be finished by tomorrow.
The iPhone is made in China, so most of the profit stays over there, right? Actually, everything in that sentence is wrong.
A new study finds that China makes less than $9 from each iPhone 7. Some of the rest goes to other Asian countries, but the lion’s share is earned by Apple and other U.S. companies.
Samsung has long been a crucial part of Apple’s supply chain, but it wants to muscle in on the company’s A-series processor orders as well.
According to a new report, Samsung is looking to regain the A-series orders that it received from Apple until TSMC took over several years ago. Previously Samsung held the exclusive order contract for these mobile A-series chips, which are used to power the iPhone and iPad.
Apple supplier TSMC will reportedly invest a massive $25 billion in 5 nanometer node technology in its quest to fabricate next-generation chips which could help power iOS devices.
No timeframe was announced for the investment. Since the company is supposedly currently fabricating 7nm chips for the 2018 iPhone, this will hopefully help TSMC hold onto its status as Apple’s A-series chipmaker for at least a while longer.
The Apple A12 processor, the heart of the 2018 iPhone, is reportedly already being manufactured. It’s being produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which has made Apple’s chips for years.
Even though the next iPhone isn’t expected until fall, TSMC isn’t getting a head start. It takes about three months to convert silicon into a microprocessor.
