“Samsung Electronics has signed a contract for the production of Apple’s next-generation smartphone application processors to be used in 2015 using 14/16nm FinFET processes, according to sources within Apple’s supply chain,” Josephine Lien and Jessie Shen report for DigiTimes.
“The sources also reiterated that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is believed to be the main foundry for 20nm A-series chips for Apple’s 2014 iPhone series, has already grabbed a portion of the 14/16nm FinFET chip orders from the smartphone vendor,” Lien and Shen report. “Samsung will use its 14nm FinFET process to manufacture a portion of the A-series chips for Apple’s 2015 iPhone series, and the remainder of the chips will be built using TSMC’s 16nm FinFET technology, the sources indicated.”
Lien and Shen report, “TSMC should land 60-70% of Apple’s total 14/16nm chip orders, with the remaining 30-40% to be taken over by Samsung.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s attempts to wean themselves off their Samsung chip stamping dependency is proving to be a depressingly drawn-out affair. Being forced to lavishly finance those who repeatedly and unapologetically steal from you while abusing FRAND to endlessly sue you around the world has to be maddening.
On another note, when these chips turn up in Macs and OS X and iOS converge in important, underlying ways, don’t be surprised.