Skip to main content

Production of next year’s A9 chip reportedly underway, Samsung may take 100% of orders

a9

Production by Samsung of the A9 chip destined for next year’s iPhones and iPads is underway, according to a report in Korea’s Electronic Times.

According to industry insiders on December 11, Samsung Electronics began production of Apple’s A9 in the Austin plant in the US using the 14nm FinFET technology. Samsung has production lines capable of FinFET process production in Austin, US and Giheung, Korea, but began to produce A9 only in Austin as it is in the initial stage.

It had been reported back in July that Samsung had received some orders for the chips, which the company effectively confirmed in October when the president of the company’s chip-making division said that profits would improve once it began supplying its latest-generation chips to Apple …

It’s not yet known whether Samsung will make 100% of the A9 chips – it makes only around 40% of the current A8, with TSMC taking the majority of the orders – but appears well-placed to do so. Samsung has demonstrated a 14 nanometer process while rival TSMC has as yet promised only 16 nanometer chips for next year: if Apple wants to take advantage of the latest chip tech, Samsung is the only supplier able to deliver.

Via The Verge

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. FAME © - 9 years ago

    Hopefully 6S Plus will go up to a 6″ display as iPad Mini is rumoured to be discontinued. Once you test-drive the phablet form-factor there really is no going back, don’t just criticese, you really have to experience it. Right now 5.5″ isn’t quite large enough and 6″ is really a sweet spot. Hopefully a 3.5x resolution for QHD downscaling will also be used. The mobile revolution has been a wonder to witness.

    • FAME © - 9 years ago

      Really? ‘Criticese’, what on earth are the auto-corrects trying to do? God help us all.

    • andreww500 - 9 years ago

      Not a chance. The design of S models never change drastically and there is no way they would make developers design for 3.5, 4, 4.7, 5.5 and 6 inch screens. It’s bad enough with 4 sizes.

      • FAME © - 9 years ago

        An additional line of code and simple re-mapping is nothing. The more real estate the better, we welcome bigger screams as they allow us to do much more and as well as unify. People tend to quote developers but are so far out of touch with our requirements.

      • andreww500 - 9 years ago

        It’s not a simple line of code… If you actually want to make use of the increased screen size then it’s no use just making things bigger. I had to spend 60-70 hours completely redesigning my app to make it look good on all screen sizes. That’s the only way that you get your apps to “allow us to do much more”.

    • Reed - 9 years ago

      Sorry but 6″ is not a sweet spot for the vast majority of the population. I’ve seen the iPhone 6 Plus in person and I think that it is plenty big already.

      • FAME © - 9 years ago

        People who want a big phone, want a big phone. The majority of the population isn’t looking for a big phone to begin with so no one who wanted the 6 Plus would complain about it being a big phone. That’s as silly as the “big phone too big for one handed-use” comments – well of course it is, it’s a big phone it isn’t intended for one-handed use.

    • dafthunk - 9 years ago

      0% chance. S models never change their design. Secondly, the bezels on the 6+ 5.5″ screen already make the phone way bigger than it should be. Can you imagine how gigantic a 6″ would be? It’s nice to dream though.

    • giskardian - 9 years ago

      Apple will not EOL the iPad Mini since mid-sized tablets are the largest growing tablet segment.

      More likely it didn’t get a full update this fall because A8 supplies were constrained. It’s also possible that Apple are waiting on yields of laminated LCD panels of similar quality to the new iPhones in the larger 7.9″ size.

  2. thejuanald - 9 years ago

    Where are all the loud, annoying people who scream that they’ll never own a product with Samsung inside? They better be boycotting the next gen Apple mobile products.

    • angermeans - 9 years ago

      You do know how it works, right? The A9 will not be a Samsung product. The A series has always been Apples technology that they’ve developed. Samsung is nothing more than a company they hire to put these chips together. Samsung is still years behind Apple (just like the rest of the industry) in chip design and performance. Not only does Apple lead the market in speed, but their chips are the most power efficient on the market. They can do this because they do the chip design in house and outsource only the manufacturing. It kills me to see so many Android fans claim the A series chips are Samsungs as they are clearly not. It is like saying Apple doesn’t make the iPhone or iPad because Foxxcon puts them together for them. We al know that isn’t true this is no different.

      • thejuanald - 9 years ago

        There’s plenty of people on this website who, ironically, state that they’d never buy anything with any samsung products in it whatsoever (including TV’s with Samsung screens or chips that aren’t Samsung, as well as appliances). Like it or not, Samsung is making the chips, so they’re Samsung products. Apple has had Samsung products in their iPhones for a long time.

      • drhalftone - 9 years ago

        I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that Samsung engineers are completely out of the picture. Numerous articles have been published in the past about how Samsung’s manufacturing engineers have worked side by side with Apple’s to get the manufacturing of the chip right. And Samsung has been willing to devote an entire factory to Apple. TSMC, on the other hand, has balked at such a commitment to one customer. Of course, you could respond by pointing out that Samsung really does need Apple’s business compared to TSMC. But your main point is correct, it is Apple’s chip, and it blows away Samsung’s ARM processors in every conceivable way (except power consumption in a bad way).

    • Gregory Wright - 9 years ago

      Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Quality, competition and price trumps spite.

    • repentantgamer - 9 years ago

      As someone who doesn’t particularly care which supplier’s manufacturing robots pump out the chips in any devices I own, I find it amusing that the Samsung shills are haughtily celebrating this unverified rumour as though their favourite multi-billion dollar has finally made a desirable phone.

      • Gregory Wright - 9 years ago

        No, I am simply recognizing a fact. Apple products are loaded with Samsung components. Samsung components are high quality and well made. Apple will never abandon Samsung as far as Samsung being a provider of parts. Eliminate Samsung you eliminate competition. Competition is what keep prices reasonable.

        This article is not about Samsung phones. Its about Samsung manufacturing ability.

      • repentantgamer - 9 years ago

        I didn’t say this article was about Samsung phones. Whether or not Samsung has good manufacturing ability does not matter either, and I did not see anyone demanding that Samsung be eliminated. Still, the Samsung shills are cheering and acting as though the iPhone is a Samsung phone.

        And all this from an unverified rumour.

      • thejuanald - 9 years ago

        Zero people ever said that it’s now a Samsung phone. What I’m pointing out is the irony that people on this board say that they will never own anything with Samsung parts in it. The fact is Samsung has been making parts for the iPhone for a long time.

      • repentantgamer - 9 years ago

        Wow, you really don’t understand the meaning of “as though” do you? I’m referring to your bizarre cheerleading and Samsung fanboyism, which is pretty dumb since iPhone users have been buying products with Samsung components in them since 2007. Nice straw man argument though.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear