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Chipworks Teardown confirms Apple using TSMC for 20nm A8 chip in iPhone 6, not Samsung

As the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus hits retail and reaches customers today, the teardown process to find out exactly what’s inside of the new iPhones this year has already begun with iFixit kicking off their live stream of the process this morning and comparing the new battery sizes for the new devices. In addition to the usual list of internals you would expect to find in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, though, and a more nuanced detail iFixit notes as discovered Chipworks.

The second-generation 64-bit chip powering the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that Apple calls the A8 is confirmed by Chipworks to have been fabricated by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) as we told you The Wall Street Journal reported in July.

The change to TSMC from Samsung for fabricating the A-series chip powering the iOS device is significant as Apple has previously relied on Samsung for the job.

Apple’s new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus are clearly targeted to compete with the Samsung Galaxy and Samsung Galaxy Note Android handsets as Apple moved away from the 4-inch display on the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5s of previous generations.

The inspection of the A8 chip found in both new iPhone models is also confirmed to use a 20 nm process as The Journal’s July report said to expect. That compares to the 28 nm processor of the A7 chip found in the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina display (fabricated by Samsung) making the new chip both more power and energy efficient. During the iPhone launch keynote, Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller said that Apple was able to fit the 2B transistors of the A8 in less space than the 1B transistors in the A7.

The decision on Apple’s part to use TSMC over Samsung for the new A8 chip is said to have impacted Samsung’s profits earlier this year, although Samsung could return to produce future chips.

TSMC has long been expected to replace Samsung in the A8 fabrication process.

Aside from relying on a different company involved in the production process, Apple’s A8 processor found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus boasts up to 25% faster CPU performance and up to 50% faster graphics as revealed by Apple during the September 12th iPhone 6 announcement.

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Comments

  1. Daniel L. Lau - 10 years ago

    No way TSMC is cheaper than Samsung. This has to be a vindictive move by apple to punish Samsung for the Galaxy S. Good for them!

    • font9a (@font9a) - 10 years ago

      Good job Apple!

    • Mr. Grey (@mister_grey) - 10 years ago

      You speak as if “cheaper” is the only metric you think is valid, which is pretty silly.

      If Apple was as concerned about the money as you, they would never do or make most of the stuff they do.

      • Max Mars (@devianter) - 10 years ago

        Sure. If apple cared about money, they wouldn’t put 2GB of Ram in their products. Oh, WAIT….

      • Daniel L. Lau - 10 years ago

        For internal parts that you don’t touch or see, I know for a fact that price is primary concern. What do you think TSMC has to offer that Samsung can’t. TSMC is like Lexmark to HP. HP could crush Lexmark if they felt they were losing any significant business to them. But as long as Lexmark printers artificially keep their page counts low so as to not directly compete with HP, HP doesn’t feel the need to give up profit margin.

        If Apple wanted to crush android, they could give away the iPhone 6 in exchange for your android smart phone. Or Apple could give iPhone owners two years of unlimited access to the entire iTunes music and video library and they would triple their market share.

      • airmanchairman - 10 years ago

        Oh WAIT…

        Yes, wait for the CPU and associated benchmarks before jumping to simplistic arithmetical conclusions

      • Max Mars (@devianter) - 10 years ago

        @airmanchairman I don’t have to wait for anything. I don’t care about CPU benchmarks. A7 is already enough for EVERYTHING. How is more RAM would NOT be good? Just tell me how? Stop defending Apple, it sound stupid. Does it work with 1GB? Of course it does. Would it be IMMENSELY better with 2GB of ram, especially in multitasking or having a lot of tabs in safari not reloading? OF COURSE IT WOULD. So why are you trying to defend Apple? Don’t you want the latest AND the greatest? Does Apple pay you for defending them? No. So why would you? Silly kids. We give them money and then they’re screwing with us. They don’t deserve all your defense. Apple does great things, but Apple does a lot of asshole moves as well. Like 5GB for iCloud. So if you buy an iPad, an iPhone and a Macbook Air they STILL give you only 5gb of space. After you spent 3000 bucks. That’s pathetic. Try defending THAT.

      • Daniel L. Lau - 10 years ago

        Max is right though about the RAM. This phone is supposed to last through a two year contract. Are you honestly saying that there won’t be a killer app developed in the next 24 months that can’t be improved with more RAM? Just editing video (recorded at 240 fps) could be accelerated with more RAM. Consider the move to a 64-bit processor. Did we really need a 64-bit processor right now? No. Could we use one in the the month after if became available? Of course we could. We, as Apple fans, cannot claim the technological high ground of a 64-bit processor without conceding that more RAM would have been nice.

      • C Yang (@chyang888) - 10 years ago

        @Daniel L. Lau You would be incorrect to make the comparison to TSMC to Samsung as Lexmark to HP for printers.

        TSMC is the 800 lbs gorilla in the semiconductor contract manufacturing of the world. TSMC manufacturing supplies > 60% of all world supply of semiconductor components. This means every electronics device that you have ever owned in your life, TSMC builds over half of the components in it.

        To give you a size comparison by production volume, Apple represent about ~2% of TSMC per year total output, whereas it would have represented 50% of Samsung LSI output.

        TSMC has been in chip manufacturing business for 40 years whereas Samsung’s general purpose (non memory) chip manufacturing has only been in business for about ~10 years.

      • kiwiphones - 10 years ago

        @devianter you assume an extra 1GB of ram would be noticeable in real world usage, with arguably the smoothest Mobile OS currently available. Just like you assume we care for your opinion.

        The Samsung Circle Jerk is that way ———–> if you wana join

        Although there isn’t much Jerking going on since they are busy restarting their phones and getting around Constant Lagging and ongoing Malware and viruses

      • Daniel L. Lau - 10 years ago

        Clearly I was too quick on the draw with my printer comparison; however, there have been numerous stories published over the past year citing Apple’s efforts to leaving Samsung as a parts supplier. In particular, see the article in the Wall Street Journal, “Apple Finds It Difficult to Divorce Samsung,” which directly quoted TSMC saying that prior to 2014, TSMC was unable to meet Apple’s requirements and that the launch of the A8 has only happened after, “…years of technical delays.” The article goes on and on about how Samsung and Apple worked together to develop the manufacturing and the chipsets that Apple needs in the iPhone. So clearly, Apple has been working for the past couple of years to punish Samsung for selling a smart phone that directly competes with the iPhone.

    • C Yang (@chyang888) - 10 years ago

      TSMC 20nm achieved 70% yield about 6 month back. Samsung struggled with their 20nm process therefore abandoned the effort to focus on their 14nm process. This was the sole reason why Apple gave the entire A8 order to TSMC.

      Cost isn’t an issue for Apple as the profit margin is extremely high. But having enough component supply is the key. TSMC demonstrated that they can supply enough components at a lower cost.

    • Max Mars (@devianter) - 10 years ago

      “So clearly, Apple has been working for the past couple of years to punish Samsung for selling a smart phone that directly competes with the iPhone.”

      HAHAHA. This is so wrong on so many levels, i can’t even begin to….. have you seen some samsung ads lately? I mean, the nerve of those bastards after STEALING EVERYTHING apple did. Please, just go away, you’re making a fool out of yourself :D

    • Max Mars (@devianter) - 10 years ago

      @kiwiphones See, you assumed that i was a samsung fanboy, but i’ve been an apple user when you didn’t even know what apple was. I own multiple computers, phones and tablets all made by apple, which i love, but since i pay premium price i’m entitled to my opinion and i can criticise apple how much i want. If you wanna pay for my iPhones… then ok, i will not say a word and remain in silence. Back to the topic. Is the system smooth? Of course, but it has nothing to do with RAM, or better, nothing to do with 1 OR 2 gb of ram. Listen, i don’t know if you’re on good terms with computers and even understand what is RAM and how it works etc, but EVERY MAC, EVERY IPAD and EVERY iPhone would benefit from larger ram. It’s about having 4-5 apps, switching and not having them to reload (especially when you wrote something, and then it just poofs and reloads the app. It’s when you have 5-7 tabs and each time you switch the tab it goddamn reloads. Don’t tell me you would MIND if they put 2gb of ram and everything i said would be otherwise, cmon, don’t fool us and especially yourself. On macs, you can add it. And apple is happy to add it for you for some extra bucks, but on the phone you’re stuck with it forever. I own a 2007 iMac, it has 4gb ram (it originally had 2) and an SSD. it runs Yosemite almost as good as my 2012 macbook air. See, when i pay 1000 bucks for a phone, i expect it to last AT LEAST 2-3 years. That’s what apple expects, too, since they let you put iOS 8 on the 4s. (theoretically, because practically it just kills your phone) Listen, like i said, you can defend apple all you want, but it’s stupid, since you PAY and then you ACCEPT whatever they do. It’s being masochistic. You just showed how you’re a bigger fanboy than [allegedly] me being a samsung fanboy. I own only one samsung product, and it’s a TV. It’s gorgeous. (See, i have no problem with that, i don’t spread the hate JUST BECAUSE)

      • Max Mars (@devianter) - 10 years ago

        @kiwiphones Oh, and unlike you, i’m still buying the 6 the first day it comes here. I was just saying that apple COULD’VE done better. the benefits for me still outweigh the disappointment in little things. So i’m still on the boat. doesn’t stop me from calling the Bs they pull though

      • kiwiphones - 10 years ago

        “you assumed that I was a Samsung fanboy” ……. uummmm? Nope ……. Where did I say that?

        I merely told you to go join the Samsung Circle Jerk, no statement of prior involvement with Samsung.

        Your incorrect in your assumption of my experience of Apple as well. I was on macs back when they were called MACINTOSH computers, before MacBook Air’s, before iMac’s, before iPads, before iPhones, even before Apples failed attempt of the POWERPC era.

        You’ll also wrong in stating increased RAM means increased PERFORMANCE.

        Android is a very incestuous mix of code and rampant 3rd Party abuse.

        The iPhone 6 running 1GB of RAM is going to beat an Android handset with the same 1GB hardware as it actually comes down to whether the Android API’s and Kernel can out perform the Xcode API’s and Kernel. Bottomline is Xcode wins. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

        For the record I have no interest in getting an iPhone 6, my primary handset is actually a LUMIA 920 which ALSO outperforms Android code.

        So I suggest you pick up a book before you start making statements and research your point of view so you actually know what your talking about, I work with Technology everyday so I genuinely don’t mind teaching you a thing or two, just ask if there is something you wana know.

      • Max Mars (@devianter) - 10 years ago

        @kiwiphones By your logic i’d be better with stock 2gb of ram than upgrading to 4, because OS X is SO COOL and manages it so well that 2gb of ram on my mac will be enough for EVERYTHING. Damn, do you even understand it’s not about fucking performance, it’s about having 3 goddamn apps running in background and not reloading EVERY fucking time you switch to them. Same with tabs. Get your head out of sand and try looking at this as a sober person. But than again, you prefer nokia 920. LOL. your opinion doesn’t matter anymore.

    • Lars Pallesen - 10 years ago

      Regardless of the price Apple may not be crazy about depending on their biggest competitor in the mobile market to produce the most crucial component in Apple’s mobile devices. Also Apple probably don’t want to bolster Samsung Mobile’s bottom-line more than they absolutely have to. Vindictive? I think it’s just common sense on Apple’s part. Mercedes don’t buy their engines from BMW.

  2. Laughing_Boy48 - 10 years ago

    Maybe some are using TSMC and others using Samsung. Apple has been known to double source.

    It’s true I’d love to see Apple punish Samsung, but not over their component division, just the smartphone division. Those two divisions are completely separate. Personally, I would just like to see Apple’s flagship iPhones outsell the stuffing out of Samsung’s flagship models by a huge factor. That would make me quite happy.

    • Mr. Grey (@mister_grey) - 10 years ago

      Re: “Those two divisions are completely separate.” …

      This is demonstrably false. There has been lots of evidence in the past that this is precisely NOT the case, and the onus is on Samsung to put up some kind of serious “wall” between the divisions, which so far they have not.

      Samsung is a corrupt, old-school, family dynasty modelled on the corrupt, dynastic companies of the early both century. You only have to do a few minutes of research to find this out, so I have to assume that you are just “pro Samsung” and haven’t actually looked into it beyond Samsung’s press releases.

      • Mr. Grey (@mister_grey) - 10 years ago

        *20th* Century

      • herb02135go - 10 years ago

        The features that are “new” on the iphone have been available for months on my Galaxy S5.

        I hope you are able to multitask. Maybe iphone 7?

        Keep waiting, my friends.

    • C Yang (@chyang888) - 10 years ago

      Apple going to TSMC is not a matter of punishing Samsung. However, going to a semiconductor source where there is no conflict of interest. This is a strategic (and technology) move on Apple part. In the past, buying components from Samsung gives Samsung the opportunity to study Apple’s supply chain and re-verse engineer Apple’s future product plans. This intelligence enable Samsung to build smart phones to compete against Apple. This unethical business practice as the reason for the of the lawsuit between Apple and Samsung a few years back.

      Going to TSMC ensures the security and secrecy of Apple supply chain intelligence. As TSMC’s only business is contract manufacturing, it will never compete against its own customers by going into the smart phone or electronics device business.

    • Daniel L. Lau - 10 years ago

      There was a story back in March quoting a Samsung executive that they would be manufacturing some of the A8 processors again in 2015. And TSMC executives have even said they expect to lose the A9 processor to Samsung in 2015. If that were to happen, then I was wrong to say Apple is punishing Samsung. Of course, I’d like to be right.

      • aaronongpl - 10 years ago

        Dr Daniel Lau, qualifying a new product for full production takes ~ 1 year. Thus, I highly doubt the story quoted by the samsung executive. For apple to leave us in 2015, they would have to start qualifying the process now.

      • Daniel L. Lau - 10 years ago

        What do you mean by, “us.” From what I can tell, you are an anonymous wordpress page. From what’s been published online, Samsung is developing a 14-16nm process for the A9. Are you saying, with inside information, that is not the case?

      • aaronongpl - 10 years ago

        AsTecc 2008 PhD uk

  3. degraevesofie - 10 years ago

    Editorial nits:

    “making the new chip both more power and energy efficient”

    I’m not sure what your trying to say there, but there is not real distinction between “power efficient” and “energy efficient”. Maybe, “making the new chip both faster and more energy-efficient.”?

    “Apple was able to fit the @B transistors of the A8 in less space than the 1B transistors in the A7.”

    Sticky shift key: “@B” -> “2B”.

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.