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.
iPhone component orders for Apple’s suppliers aren’t likely to pick up until the third quarter of this year, a new report suggests.
It’s just the latest bit of bad news in a series of recent reports suggesting that Apple is slashing orders for its present generation iPhones, and may be leaving manufacturers with excess inventory.
Apple shares fell 3 percent this morning after iPhone chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) cut its revenue forecast for the second quarter of 2018.
The company and industry analysts point to weak demand for high-end smartphones as the main reason for the poor guidance. This likely has something to do with the fact that iPhone X sales have been in the gutter since early hype quickly died out late last year.
As we get closer to the iPhone 8’s launch, more and more alleged components are starting to show up online. The latest is what is reported to be the A11 chip which will power the next-gen device.
Made by TSMC, previous reports have stated that the new chip is manufactured using a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, which should make it faster and more efficient than the 16-nanometer A10 Fusion used in the iPhone 7. It should also be faster than the A10X Fusion chip used in the latest iPad Pros.
Apple manufacturing partner TSMC has reportedly started mass-production of the A11 chip that will power the iPhone 8.
The new chip is said to be based on a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, which should make it faster and more efficient than the 16-nanometer A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7.
Early benchmarks suggest it will be even faster than the A10X Fusion chip in the latest iPad Pros.
Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is likely to hang on to Apple’s A-series iPhone chip orders in 2018, a new report claims.
The report contrasts with one published earlier this week, suggesting that Samsung would be taking over the role of A12 chip manufacturing, on account of its investment in “extreme UV lithography machines,” some of the the most advanced chip-making equipment around.
Whatever problems Apple may have been having embedding Touch ID into the iPhone 8’s display, it appears that it’s solved them!
According to a new report — citing Apple chip supplier TSMC — the next-gen iPhone will boast an optical fingerprint sensor to enable authentication directly by touching the screen.
Apple’s A-series chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has reportedly begun production of the new A11 chip for the upcoming iPhone 8 and possibly the upgraded iPhone 7s handsets.
Despite rumors claiming the contrary, there will be no delay in the launch of the iPhone 8, claims China’s Economic Daily News.
Citing sources in the downstream supply chain, the newspaper says new iPhones will start selling in October, and not as late as 2018 as some reports have claimed.
Chip orders reveal demand for the next-gen iPhones is set to exceed 50 million units during the second half of 2017, and hit a total of 220 million to 230 million units, according to a new report.
The new handsets are likely to be Apple’s biggest iPhone refresh since 2014’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus-era devices, and promise to boast major new features. And it seems Apple’s willing to bank on that leading to massive demand!
Apple manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is set to begin volume production of Apple’s next-gen A11 chips next month, with the goal of producing 50 million chips before July.
The chips will be used for the next-gen iPhones, which are likely to make their debut in September. The A11 chips will reportedly be built using a 10 nanometer FinFET process.
Apple’s favorite chipmaker in Asia may be ready to move to the United States next year.
TSMC — the world’s largest contract chipmaker, and sole supplier of the A10 Fusion processor that powers the iPhone 7 — says it is weighing the benefits of setting up shop in the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
A number of key Apple suppliers are considering new facilities in the U.S., according to reports out of China.
Assembler Foxconn, display maker Sharp, and chip maker TSMC are all said to be interested in taking advantage of new business incentives proposed by soon-to-be President Donald Trump.
A new report claims that the next-gen iPad Pro, set to be unveiled early in 2017, could be delayed due to lower-than-expected yield rates on the 10-nanometer A10X chips used in the device.
Samsung may spin off its chip-making business as part of a company-wide restructuring, claims a new report.
The move would be a response to Samsung’s loss of Apple’s A-series chip orders to rival chipmaker TSMC for the iPhone 7 and, potentially, future iOS chips as well.
Strong demand for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus helped chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company achieve record profits for 2016. Not only is TSMC outperforming its rivals, but it now accounts for 16 percent of Taiwan’s entire equity market value.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reportedly had to fight to secure the A10 chip orders for the iPhone 7, but whatever it had to do to get there has clearly paid off!
That’s based on the company’s new 2016 revenue forecast, which has just been ramped up based on new profit and sales records being reached in the year’s third quarter — largely thanks to the success of Apple’s next-gen iPhone.
The next iPhone you buy might have Intel inside, if the company is able to succeed in its new plans to overthrow Apple’s long-time partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
Intel, the world’s-largest chipmaker, is reportedly looking to make a big splash in mobile chips and has already started talking to Apple about taking over orders to make the ARM processors used in the iPad and iPhone.
With iPhone demand slowing down, one of the ways in which Apple is hoping to increase earnings is by pushing its suppliers to work for less money — but it doesn’t seem to be going entirely to plan.
According to a new report, Apple is meeting resistance from manufacturers in its Taiwan-based supply chain as it requests that they lower quotes for iPhone 7 components by as much as 20 percent.
The iPhone 7 is still around eight weeks from hitting shelves, but Apple and its suppliers are already looking ahead to next year’s iPhone refresh — according to a new report claiming that Apple has placed its orders for the next-next-gen A11 chips.
And in a break from its recent strategy, it’s apparently placed them all with one supplier. And sorry Samsung, but it isn’t you!
One of Apple’s biggest chipmakers expects its revenue to rise during the third quarter of 2016 around the launch of the iPhone 7 series. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) likely will start shipping new A10 processors soon.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) may have reportedly scored Apple’s A-series orders for the next-gen iPhone 7, but with plenty of rivals on its tail it’s not shying away from putting in the work (and, more importantly, the cash) to ensure it stays Apple’s chipmaker of note.
According to TSMC’s co-CEO Mark Liu, this means spending a massive, record-setting $2.2 billion on R&D this year; a significantly higher figure than the $1.067 it spend researching new processes last year.
Apple is preparing to team up with Intel for the upcoming iPhone 7, according to sources familiar with its plans. The chip maker is expected to supply up to 50 percent of Apple’s LTE modems for the new device.
From the sound of things, Apple is focusing a lot of attention on next year’s iPhone launch as the biggest handset refresh since 2014’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Alongside OLED displays, wireless charging, an all-glass enclosure and a lack of physical home button, the iPhone 7s (or possibly iPhone 8 if certain rumors are to be believed) will also include a next-next-gen A11 chip. And Apple’s already working on it.