Apple has been named as a co-defendant in a patent infringement lawsuit against TSMC, which makes the A-series chips in Apple’s iOS devices. The lawsuit seeks to ban the import of unspecified Apple devices from both the USA and Germany.
US chipmaker Global Foundries accuses TSMC of infringing on 16 of its patents, with Apple cited in three of them…
There has been a steady stream of reports suggesting that the 2020 iPhones will use 5nm chips, and a statement by A-series chipmaker TSMC provides further support for the idea.
Apple made much of the fact that the A12 chip used in all three 2018 iPhones used a 7nm process, the first smartphones on the market to do so. Smaller processes mean more transistors in the same size chip, which generally boosts both performance and energy efficiency …
TSMC profits have seen their steepest quarterly drop in seven years. The news from Apple’s A-series chip supplier comes just twelve days before the iPhone maker reports its earnings for the same quarter (calendar Q1, Apple’s fiscal Q2).
This is not the first piece of news suggesting that iPhone sales may disappoint …
Apple appears to be ready to once again lead smartphone chip architecture with manufacturing partner TSMC readying 7-nanometer fabrication to be used to make the A13 chip for the 2019 iPhone later this year.
It’s looking like Apple chipmaker TSMC is on track for being able to produce 5nm A-Series chips for 2020 iPhones.
We heard as long ago as the beginning of last year that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company was gearing up for that target, and a new report today says that the firm has just hit a major milestone along the way …
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has forecast its biggest quarterly revenue drop in a decade as it warns of the impact of falling demand for smartphones. TSMC is the sole supplier for the A-Series chips used in current iPhones, and this is expected to remain unchanged this year.
The market has responded nervously …
Weaker-than-expected demand for this year’s models has seen iPhone orders cut for the second time, claims a supply-chain report.
It follows earlier reports that Apple had reduced orders for both the iPhone XS and iPhone XR …
Supply chain resources suggested this week that TSMC revenue for the final quarter of the year might be weaker than expected – and the company has now confirmed this, predicting weaker sales in some areas of its business.
But the company does not include its smartphone chip business in this assessment …
Taiwanese suppliers are said to be ‘cautious’ about iPhone XR orders, despite an analyst report yesterday suggesting that the new lower-priced model will do better than the iPhone 8 did in its launch quarter …
Apple has been firing on all cylinders recently with its CPU chip design; Apple’s A12 chip continued this trend and allows for the iPhone XS to easily outstrip the competition on speed tests and benchmarks. Of course, whilst Apple designs these chips in-house it does not manufacture them. That responsibility lies on TSMC’s shoulders. TSMC has been the exclusive manufacturer for Apple’s chips since the A10 chip in 2016.
According to Digitimes, that trend is set to continue with the next generation of processors which will power the fall 2019 iPhones. Apple has publicly praised TSMC for being able to mass produce to high quality, and be agile to new technology. At the A12 debut last month, Apple boasted how it was able to be the first company to ship phones with chips fabricated at a 7nm process — in large parts thanks to TSMC’s competency.
Apple is likely to establish a technical lead over most smartphone brands as the company moves to a 7nm process for the A12 chip that will power this year’s flagship iPhones. That lead could last well into next year.
Supply-chain sources say that most brands are unlikely to use sub-10nm chips for some time yet …
TSMC, sole supplier of the A-series chips used in Apple’s iPhones and other devices, has admitted that the ultimate cause of its virus-induced downtime was the use of unpatched Windows systems …
Analysts believe that the computer virus which shut down several factories at TSMC – the sole supplier of Apple’s A-series chips – could delay shipments of Apple’s new iPhones.
TSMC had previously said that it expected the production line shutdowns to impact Q3 revenues by 3%, suggesting a small but still significant impact on its capacity …
Update: In a statement, TSMC said the virus incident would reduce estimated third quarter revenues by 3%, as well as shipment delays that would be caught up by the fourth quarter.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple supplier TSMC was forced to shut down several of its factories late last night due to a “computer virus.” While details are unclear at this point, the shutdown comes as TSMC is ramping up chip production for the new iPhone models coming this year…
Apple A-series chipmaker TSMC is optimistic about sales of this year’s iPhones, forecasting ‘high single-digit’ sales growth following ‘lethargic’ demand for smartphone chips …
It was reported back in January that TSMC was investing in a 5nm chip fabrication process as part of its efforts to retain its sole supplier status for Apple’s A-series chips.
The company has now confirmed this report …
Apple’s key supplier TSMC is looking ahead to a strong year in terms of profitability, even if total revenue is lower, driven by production of new iPhone chips.
Via Digitimes, TSMC is set to manufacture the system-on-a-chip for 2018 iPhones, dubbed Apple A12. The chip wafers are expected to be made with a 7 nanometer process. The current A11 chip inside iPhone X and iPhone 8 uses a 10nm feature size.
Apple shares have fallen by 1.7% in pre-market trading at the time of writing. The drop appears to have been prompted by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) giving Q2 guidance significantly below market expectations …
Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC is working hard on remaining Apple’s sole supplier for A-series chips as it works on ever smaller processes for its chip fabrication plants …
Apple may have only just launched its first iPhone with an OLED screen, but technology never stands still. The company is reportedly pressing ahead with work on the microLED display technology which is expected to supersede OLED within the next few years.
microLED screens take some of the key benefits of OLED over LCD yet further, offering even greater brightness, color saturation and power efficiency …
Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams has said that the company no longer needs to trade-off performance against battery-life in its A-series chips.
Williams is reported to have made the statement at a forum hosted as part of the 30th anniversary of Apple chipmaker TSMC …
Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams attended the 30th anniversary celebrations of A-series chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, and took the opportunity to say a few words about the importance of AI in general – and the phone as an AI tool in particular.
I think we’re at an inflection point, with on-device computing, coupled with the potential of AI, to really change the world.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) says that it expects its revenues to grow by 10% during October to December, as the iPhone X goes on sale. It follows 28% growth in August in the run-up to the iPhone 8 launch.
TSMC is believed to be the sole supplier of the A11 chip used in this year’s iPhones, just as it was for the iPhone 7, and the company appears confident of fending off future competition from Samsung …
TSMC has announced that its August revenues have increased 28% sequentially thanks to ‘robust’ shipments of 10nm chips – which include the A11 chip used in this year’s iPhones …