“Samsung Electronics began production of ‘A9,’ the application processor (AP) for Apple’s next-generation smartphone,” Bae Ok-jin reports for Korea IT News. “It applies the 14nm FinFET, the cutting-edge microprocess for system semiconductors, for the first time.”
“According to industry insiders on December 11, SEC began production of Apple’s A9 in the Austin plant in the US using the 14nm FinFET technology,” Bae reports. “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.”
“As Apple is adjusting the A9 chip production quantity shuttling between SEC and TSMC, if TSMC’s production line is stabilized in the future, there is no knowing how SEC will respond,” Bae reports. “SEC’s foundry business was hit hard when Apple orders stopped. Although the entire semiconductor business is booming, securities companies predict that the system LSI business, including the foundry business, will suffer a loss to the tune of KRW800 billion this year. SEC is expected to recover sales loss to a certain extent with the production of Apple A9.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
GlobalFoundries could stamp out Apple A9 processors in upstate New York – December 11, 2014
TSMC overtakes Samsung in FinFET, confident they will land Apple A9 orders – October 7, 2014
Samsung pins hopes on sales boost from Apple A9 chip deal – October 2, 2014
Samsung/Globalfoundries, TSMC fight to land Apple A9 processor orders – July 1, 2014
My guess is Samsung offered deep price discounts to get the business back. We have seen that stamping out Apple chip designs does not help them produce a better product of their own.
Yep. And yet I would still rather not give SameSong any of Apple’s money/business.
Baloney.
Samsung is going to report abysmal quarterly numbers. They née some bogus news to sustain their stock price. Some entity controlled by WS shysters or probably heir own trading positions need out. They are looking for a pansy fund/client to dump the position.
So the chips will be produced by the US workers (few that there are, though, assuming most of the manufacturing process is automated), then shipped to China for assembly into the iPhones, then shipped back to the US as complete devices…
Globalisation at its finest!
I speculate some other countries might receive some finished product.
I wouldn’t like to be in Intel’s shoes if Apple can get a 14nm ARM product to market before they can ship a Broadwell MacBook.
Baseless rumors designed to prop up Samsung stock price?
Did the author get paid by Samsung?
We all know Samsung pays people for good reviews online, why not payoff “journalist”?
Are they stamping now after they copied Apple Chip Design or later when they sorta reverse engineer it?
Sounds like pure Baloney!
Isn’t it too early at this time to be making the A9 chip?
Shamesung is obviously brazing for the Mother of all profit drops in the next Q earning call and needs to issue something to prevent a freefall to their stock prices….but it will probably not really help.
What else do we see nect? Shamsung making the Apple Watch for Apple??