TSMC COVID-19 countermeasures boosted after fresh outbreak
A report today says that TSMC COVID-19 countermeasures are being significantly stepped up after an fresh outbreak of the coronavirus in Taiwan …
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TSMC plans ‘risk production’ of 3nm chips as it looks ahead to 2023 iPhones
Apple A-series and M1 chipmaker TSMC is planning to carry out what is known as risk production of 3nm chips later this year. A 3nm process will be used for future iPhones, although likely not until 2023.
Risk production is the stage at which a foundry has carried out purely internal testing, and believes that it is now ready to try the process on customer designs to see whether those can be successfully produced …
Expand Expanding CloseTSMC already making chips for Intel, says TrendForce report
A new report says that Apple A-series chipmaker TSMC is already making chips for Intel, following earlier speculation that this was in the cards.
TSMC has a dramatic technological lead over Intel when it comes to chip fabrication, demonstrated in the 5nm A14 chips the company makes for Apple …
Expand Expanding Close5nm chips: Apple will lead the way this year, with Samsung a distant 3rd
A new report today says that Apple will be responsible for more than half of all 5nm chips made this year, and that Samsung will be in a distant third place at around 5% of the latest smaller-process chips. The A14 chip was Apple’s first use of a 5nm process.
Apple will also be in large part responsible for Qualcomm coming in second, at around a quarter of the likely production …
Expand Expanding CloseBloomberg: Intel considering outsourcing some production to Apple chip maker TSMC
As Intel plays catch up in the chip production industry, a new report from Bloomberg today indicates that Intel has talked with TSMC and Samsung about outsourcing some production. This comes as Apple transitions away from Intel in the Mac lineup, opting for its own Apple Silicon chips — produced by TSMC — instead.
Expand Expanding CloseAfter Foxconn, TSMC also reports record revenues on strong iPhone 12 demand
Strong iPhone 12 demand was credited with Foxconn reporting record revenues earlier this week, and now the same is true of TSMC. Apple’s chipmaker reported record revenue for December.
TSMC’s share price also hit a record high today in response to the news …
Expand Expanding Close$1B Intel investor says chipmaker must try to win back Apple’s business
An Intel investor with a billion dollar stake in the chipmaker says that it needs to make drastic changes to address its changed fortunes – including attempting to win back Apple as a client.
Intel stock had fallen 21% over the course of 2020 before the 10-figure investment by hedge fund Third Point, which is pushing for fundamental change in the company …
Expand Expanding Close2021 iPhones will use enhanced 5nm chips; 2022 ones move to 4nm(ish)
Market intelligence firm TrendForce is out with a new report, in which it predicts that the A15 chip in Apple’s 2021 iPhones will stick with a 5nm process, but will move to an enhanced ‘5nm+’ version.
The A16 chip for the 2022 iPhones are expected to move to a 4nm process, though the company does add a rider to this …
Expand Expanding CloseApple suppliers among those being pressured by US to leave China
Apple suppliers are among the Taiwanese tech companies being pressured by the White House to move their manufacturing operations away from China, says a new report today.
Washington is said to have “weaponized tech supply chains” against China…
Expand Expanding CloseApple Silicon Macs – chip production on schedule for Q4
Chip production for the first Apple Silicon Macs is reported to be on schedule for launch before the end of the year.
A new supply-chain report today says that mass-production is set to kick off in the final quarter of the year …
Expand Expanding CloseTSMC indicates potential iPhone 12 performance and power efficiency improvements
Apple A-series chipmaker TSMC has given an indication of the potential iPhone 12 performance and power efficiency improvements we might see from this year’s flagship phones.
The A14 chip in the iPhone 12 is expected to be based on a 5nm process, compared to the 7nm process used in the A13 chip which powers the iPhone 11. We’ve previously seen estimates of the impact of the smaller process, but TSMC has now touted its own numbers …
Expand Expanding CloseTSMC expects Apple Silicon Macs to really take off in 2nd half of 2021
Apple chipmaker TSMC says that while we’re expecting to see the first Apple Silicon Macs before the end of this year, there will be a big boost in production from the second half of 2021.
Apple itself has said that it expects to complete the transition from Intel to ARM-based Macs within two years, but hasn’t given any indication on which models to expect when …
TSMC US plant: Senate and Congress say US chipmakers should also get subsidies
Controversy over the planned TSMC US plant continues. There are bipartisan moves in both the Senate and House to argue that if a Taiwanese company is given subsidies to build a semiconductor plant in the US, the same should apply to American-owned companies.
It follows news that TSMC is seeking huge subsidies from the US government in order to proceed with plans to build a plant in Arizona …
TSMC Arizona plant: company seeking huge subsidies from US government
Plans for a TSMC Arizona plant are in doubt as the chipmaker says it is seeking huge subsidies from the US government in order to proceed.
Specifically, TSMC wants the US government to completely cover the difference in operating costs between Taiwan and the USA …
TSMC US plant raises national security and competition questions, say senators
Plans for a $12 billion TSMC US plant to be built in Arizona raise serious national security and competition questions, say three Democrat senators.
Apple A-series chip supplier TSMC announced plans last week to build a chip fabrication plant in Arizona. It’s expected that at least some of the chips made for iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs will be produced there…
Apple chip maker TSMC officially announces plans for $12 billion fab in Arizona
After a few days of rumors, it is now official. TSMC announced in a press release that it intends to build a chip factory in the United States, specifically in Arizona.
Construction is expected to begin in 2021 and the first chips from the fab could be manufactured in 2024. TSMC is the exclusive manufacturer of the A-series chips Apple uses in its iOS devices.
WSJ: Apple chip maker TSMC could announce plans for a US factory as soon as this week
A new report today from the Wall Street Journal reiterates that Apple supplier TSMC is in negotiations to build a multibillion-dollar manufacturing plant in Arizona. This follows up its original report from earlier this week, with today’s report adding that an announcement could be made this week.
Report: White House talking with Apple chip maker TSMC about building a US factory
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Trump administration is discussing with chip manufacturers including TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor) and Intel about the possibility of building fabrication plants in the United States.
TSMC manufacturers the core system-on-a-chip silicon that Apple relies on for its iOS devices (and soon Macs too). The upcoming A14 chip that will debut in the iPhone 12 will be built on a 5 nanometer process. This manufacturing currently happens in China, but the US government is campaigning these companies to start domestic chip production.
TSMC earnings suggest optimism about iPhone SE, uncertainty over iPhone 12
The latest TSMC earnings report suggests that the company is reasonably optimistic about demand for the new iPhone SE, but is far less certain what may happen in regard to the iPhone 12 launch later in the year.
The iPhone A-series chipmaker beat analyst estimates for Q1, almost doubling its net profit, and had a relatively upbeat forecast for Q2 …
Apple suppliers plan to resume work on February 10 after coronavirus hiatus
Major Apple suppliers say that they currently plan to resume production in China on February 10.
Most large Chinese companies have extended the Chinese new year holiday in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus. February 10 is the government’s target date to re-open factories and re-start production…
TSMC says business as usual; Facebook acts on coronavirus hoaxes
Apple A-series chip supplier TSMC has said that production in its Chinese facilities remains on track despite the coronavirus outbreak impacting output at a number of factories in the country…
Apple A-series chipmaker TSMC says it may make chips in the US
TSMC, which makes the A-series chips for Apple’s iPhones and iPads, says it may in future make chips in the US…
A-series chip supplier TSMC reports strong Q3 sales, expects 5G boost in 2020
Apple’s A-series chipmaker TSMC has reported strong Q3 sales, with revenue up more than 10% year-on-year, citing high demand from smartphone makers.
The company is also optimistic about demand in the final quarter of the year, and says that it expects a dramatic boost in demand, thanks to 5G smartphones next year. 2020 is the year in which Apple is expected to launch its first 5G iPhone…
TSMC reports record August revenue ahead of today’s iPhone launch
A-series chipmaker TSMC has reported record August revenue, up 16.5% year-on-year, ahead of today’s iPhone launch. The company said that its revenue last month hit NT $106.12 billion (US $3.4 billion).
The number is likely to spark speculation about Apple’s confidence in early sales of this year’s iPhones, but there are three reasons for a cautious interpretation of the news…
