Apple supplier TSMC has secured orders for Apple-designed A14 SOCs destined for this year’s iPhones and is expected to start fabricating the chips in the second quarter, DigiTimes is reporting, citing industry sources.
TSMC has been working hard to miniaturize its fabrication process to 5 nanometers – down from 7 nanometer fabrication seen in the A12 and A13 – with the aim of securing orders for Apple’s processors in its iPhones for the fourth year running.
Previous successes in miniaturization have enabled the foundry to be Apple’s exclusive supplier of A-series chips, beginning with the A10 Fusion… Apple is expected to release five new iPhone models in 2020, including a so-called iPhone SE 2 with a 4.7-inch LCD display in the first half of 2020, followed by a higher-end all-OLED 5G lineup consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year.
MacDailyNews Take: Meanwhile, iPhone wannabe peddlers continue trying to catch up to Apple’s 7nm A12 launched in 2018.