The ongoing chip shortage has already started to affect iPhone 13 shipments, with waiting times of up to 5 weeks on other models
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Apple A15 will likely be based on the same 5NMP (5nm+) process that is also being used for the upcoming M2 (or M1X) chip.
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Apple went all-in on the 5nm process-based silicon for both Macs and iPhones by equipping them with the M1 and A14 Bionic chip this year. Notably, both the chips own also hold the title of being the first commercially available 5nm processors. As per a new report from China-based United Daily News, Apple might also be the first in the industry to offer computer and smartphone chips based on TSMC’s 3nm process.
The company was reportedly the first to get in touch with TSMC regarding its 3nm fabrication process. The report claims that Apple wants to rely on the upgraded process to make the next-gen M-series chips for upcoming Macs and A-series chips that will go inside the iPads, and later in the iPhones. It appears that the 3nm-based A-series chip will appear first inside an iPad before making its way to an iPhone, just like the A14 Bionic processor first was first equipped inside the 2020 iPad Air before being packed inside with the iPhone 12 family.
It is being forecast that at least 300 million chips based on the 3nm process must be produced to recoup the cost associated with R&D and production, but with Apple moving entirely to in-house chips and banking heavily on the 3nm process, the target is not outlandish for TSMC. “Apple will use TSMC’s 3nm to produce its own M-series chips for Mac and iPad. The advanced process will also be used to produce A-series processors for the iPhone,” (via Google Translate) adds the report.
4nm process could be announced in 2021
As per the report, TSMC plans to clear the certification process and aims to start the trial production of its 3nm-based chips in 2021. As for mass production, it is likely to commence in 2022. As per industry insights, TSMC is smoothly sailing towards its goal of producing 600,000 3nm-based chips annually. However, between its existing 5nm fabrication process and 3nm technology, TSMC is also expected to unveil its 4nm process soon.
Back in May this year, TSMC announced plans to build a new factory in the US. Later in August, it was reported that TSMC will soon start working on a new 2nm factory and R&D center.
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Apple went all-in on the 5nm process-based silicon for both Macs and iPhones by equipping them with the M1 and A14 Bionic chip this year. Notably, both the chips own also hold the title of being the first commercially available 5nm processors. As per a new report from China-based United Daily News, Apple might also be the first in the industry to offer computer and smartphone chips based on TSMC’s 3nm process.
The company was reportedly the first to get in touch with TSMC regarding its 3nm fabrication process. The report claims that Apple wants to rely on the upgraded process to make the next-gen M-series chips for upcoming Macs and A-series chips that will go inside the iPads, and later in the iPhones. It appears that the 3nm-based A-series chip will appear first inside an iPad before making its way to an iPhone, just like the A14 Bionic processor first was first equipped inside the 2020 iPad Air before being packed inside with the iPhone 12 family.
It is being forecast that at least 300 million chips based on the 3nm process must be produced to recoup the cost associated with R&D and production, but with Apple moving entirely to in-house chips and banking heavily on the 3nm process, the target is not outlandish for TSMC. “Apple will use TSMC’s 3nm to produce its own M-series chips for Mac and iPad. The advanced process will also be used to produce A-series processors for the iPhone,” (via Google Translate) adds the report.
4nm process could be announced in 2021
As per the report, TSMC plans to clear the certification process and aims to start the trial production of its 3nm-based chips in 2021. As for mass production, it is likely to commence in 2022. As per industry insights, TSMC is smoothly sailing towards its goal of producing 600,000 3nm-based chips annually. However, between its existing 5nm fabrication process and 3nm technology, TSMC is also expected to unveil its 4nm process soon.
Back in May this year, TSMC announced plans to build a new factory in the US. Later in August, it was reported that TSMC will soon start working on a new 2nm factory and R&D center.
The post Apple among the first in industry to reap the benefits of TSMC’s 3nm process: Report appeared first on Pocketnow.
Apple took a lead in the smartphone industry with the A14 Bionic processor this year, which happens to the first smartphone chip based on the 5nm chip. As expected, the A14 Bionic set new performance benchmarks for a smartphone chip. Now, it appears that Apple will likely maintain its lead in the smartphone industry by opting the even more efficient 5nm+ process next year, and might shift to TSMC’s 4nm process in 2022.
The latest speculations come courtesy of a TrendForce report which claims that Apple will tap into TSMC’s advanced 5nm+ foundry for making the A15 Bionic chip that will make its way to next year’s iPhone and iPad line-up. More importantly, the pace of innovation will continue in the following year, as TSMC is expected to further shrink the node size to 4nm, with Apple being among the first parties to lap it up for its A16 Bionic chip.
As a general rule of thumb, a smaller process means higher efficiency and better performance when it comes to processors. “Looking ahead to 2021, in addition to Apple’s 5nm+ wafer input for the A15 Bionic SoC,” the report said regarding Apple’s switch to the 5nm+ process next year. “based on current data, Apple is highly likely to continue manufacturing its A16 SoCs with the 4nm process technology,” it added. In addition to the company leveraging TSNM’s smaller nodes, trial production for a test batch of AMD’s upcoming 5nm-based Zen 4 CPUs might also begin next year.
However, it also quite likely that Apple will rely on TSMC’s 5nm+ and 4nm process for manufacturing newer in-house silicon for future Macs, after creating the 5nm-based Apple M1 chip that has already made its way to the new Macbook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini. It will interesting to see how much performance gain can Apple deliver chrome its in-house PC chips following the switch to ever smaller and more energy-efficient nodes.
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HongmengOS or HarmonyOS has been in the headlines for quite some time, ever since HUAWEI lost its license for Android and access to Google Mobile Services (GMS). It managed to mitigate the problem well by using AOSP version of Android for its recent smartphone models, and investing time, money, and effort into building its own ecosystem under the Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) umbrella.
The end goal, according to various reports, is for HUAWEI to utilize its own, in-house operating system, which has been in the works for quite some time, and which was detailed at the 2019 HUAWEI Developer Conference.
According to a recent report, HUAWEI will likely unveil a new version of HarmonyOS at the upcoming Developer Conference on Thursday, September 10. It will allegedly be called HongmengOS (HarmonyOS) 2.0, and a slew of products based on it will be announced down the road.
The report is citing CEO Richard Yu in saying that a smartphone running on HarmonyOS already exists, and customers should expect one to be commercially available next year.
However, HUAWEI aims to use this operating system on more products, not just smartphones, including laptops, wearables, as well as their auto-related products.
The report also cites Richard Yu saying that “this year’s Huawei smartwatch products will also be equipped with Hongmeng OS. In the future, all of Huawei’s IoT products, including PCs, tablets, and even mobile phones, may use Hongmeng OS.“
Richard Yu also talked about the difficulties and trying to overcome them, related to the next-generation Kirin 9000 chip, which will be powering the upcoming Mate 40-series of phones. TSMC is manufacturing the 5nm chip around the clock in order to deliver most, if not the entire order to HUAWEI, as September 15 is the date new US sanctions come into effect that will put an end, hopefully temporarily, to the HUAWEI and TSMC collaboration.
Source: QQ
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The 12-inch MacBook with Intel processors was discontinued just more than a year ago, but it seems that it was all part of Apple’s strategy to make way for its new ARM-powered MacBooks. Earlier this year, Apple announced that it was going to stop using Intel processors in its Macs to give way to a new wave ARM-powered products. This transition will take Apple around two years, but it seems that the first model to embrace the change will be the 12-inch MacBook by the end of this year.
“Industry sources pointed out that the first A14X processor designed by Apple has been finalized and will begin mass production using TSMC’s 5nm process before the end of the year.
“Apple’s supply chain industry pointed out that by the end of this year, Apple is expected to launch a Macbook with a 12-inch Retina Display, using a self-developed and designed A14X processor. The processor is codenamed Tonga and supports a USB Type-C interface. It will weigh less than 1 kilogram.
“Because of the low power consumption of the Arm architecture processor, the battery life of the new Macbook can reach 15 to 20 hours.”
The new 12-inch MacBook is also expected to deliver up to 20 hours of battery life, and changes don’t stop there. Apple may also be working in developing its own GPUs, and these could even arrive in the second half of 2021, inside an iMac.
“In the past, Apple introduced Mac personal computers with Intel CPUs, equipped with Huida or AMD GPUs, but industry insiders pointed out that Apple has cancelled support for AMD GPUs in the macOS Arm 64-bit operating system, indicating that Apple will be adopted in the future. Silicon’s Mac personal computers may use a GPU developed and designed by Apple. Recently, the industry has reported that in addition to Apple Silicon processors, Apple’s iMac desktops launched next year will also be equipped with self-developed and designed Apple GPUs.
“According to relevant sources, Apple’s self-developed GPU is progressing smoothly. The research and development code is Lifuka. Like the upcoming A14X processor, it is produced using TSMC’s 5nm process. Apple has designed a series of processors for Mac personal computers. The new GPU will provide better performance per watt and higher computing performance. It has tile-based deferred rendering technology that allows application developers to write More powerful professional application software and game software.”
However, these possible changes have also affected other companies, as Apple could’ve asked TSMC to stop making chips for Huawei, as Cupertino wants to make sure the chipmaker has enough capacity to supply its needs. Of course, the US ban on Huawei makes this an easy decision for TSMC, leaving MediaTek as the only possible supplier for Huawei Silicon in the near future. These last details suggest that the report’s source may be TSMC employees or consultants, which would make this report from China Times more reliable.
Source MacRumors
Via 9to5Mac
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The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has recently announced during its annual conference, a roadmap for the next two years, where it mentions a new 2nm factory and R&D center. TSMC has already acquired the necessary terrains to expand its operations, as it is also getting ready to deliver 3nm chipsets in 2022.
TSMC will soon start building a new factory that will serve as a 2nm foundry and a research and development center. This new factory will give jobs to approximately 8,00 people, and it will also help transition from the 3nm chips that are expected to be found in 2022 devices. This new factory will be located in Hsinchu, as the senior VP of TSMC has confirmed that the company has already purchased land to expand its R&D center.
The new 2nm node will be developed on the GAA (gate-all-around) tech, instead of the FinFET (fin field-effect transistor) used in 3nm processes. Samsung has already announced that it will use GAA technology in its 3nm chipsets by 2022, so we will see who gets better results. Whatever the case, this competition will help keep prices low for smartphone makers, and consumers at the end of the day.
Source GSM Arena
Via DigiTimes
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Samsung was expected to start mass production of its 5nm chipsets from Q2 2020. Unfortunately, the company has also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it seems that it is already making it lose money, as a new report suggests that Samsung has lost a part of Qualcomm’s 5nm chip orders to the TSMC.
According to a new report from China, Samsung may have lost some of Qualcomm’s 5nm Snapdragon 875G and Snapdragon 735G chip orders to TSMC. The Chinese chipmaker is currently producing around 60,000 5nm chipsets per month, even though it could pick up its speed to deliver up to 90,000 units to deal with the demand. Qualcomm may have decided to split its orders to avoid a possible delay in the launch of the new chipsets.
Samsung may still make some of these new processors, but they would only be a small fraction of Qualcomm’s total orders, which would translate to massive economic losses.
Source SamMobile
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It seems that Huawei is already being affected by the latest changes in the Huawei ban. The US started to implement more restrictions on Friday, and according to Nikkei Asian Review, the TSMC has turned down Huawei’s latest chipset order because of these new rules.
The US Commerce Department set new rules last Friday, which make manufacturing companies that use US equipment and software to get a special license to sell to Huawei. Some of the sources say that:
“TSMC has stopped taking new orders from Huawei after the new rule change was announced to fully comply with the latest export control regulation.”
“But those already in production and those orders which TSMC took before the new ban are not impacted and could continue to proceed if those chips could be shipped before mid-September.”
Huawei hasn’t made comments on the current situation, while the TSMC says that these are “purely market rumors.” The report says that the rejected $700 million order from Huawei was for its 5nm and 7nm chips, which could be the upcoming Kirin 1020 and the current 5G baseband chips, respectively. It is also rumored that TSMC could be working on full capacity and wouldn’t be able to take any more orders. Whatever the case, Huawei could’ve also been stockpiling components since the end of 2019 to ensure a steady supply of components.
The Chinese tech giant could also start looking for alternatives to the TSMC, such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. Still, there’s no guarantee that these companies would be able to sell their silicon to Huawei since they also use the TSMC to produce their chips.
Source Android Authority
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The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has finally announced today its intention to build a new factory in Arizona. This factory will focus on manufacturing advanced 5nm chipsets. Its construction is planned to start in 20201, and production could begin in 2024.
A new TSMC factory will come to Arizona. This facility will be able to deliver about twenty thousand chipsets using 5nm processes. This will probably happen by 2024 after the construction plans are stated for 2021. This operation may cost around $12 billion from 2021 to 2029, which also includes capital expenditure. This new facility will also create over 1,600 jobs for high-tech professionals. TSMC already has factories in other states within the US, but the Arizona facility would become its second-largest. This will also help Apple avoid possible taxes since the TSMC produces Apple’s A-series chips, the ones we find in iPhones and iPads.
Source MacRumors
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According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, the TSMC could soon announce their project to build a multibillion-dollar manufacturing plant in Arizona. The company may be in negotiations, and it seems that the announcement could take place this week.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is responsible for the manufacturing of Apple’s A-series chips. These chips are found on the iPhone, iPad, and they are also expected in future Macs.
“TSMC is expected to announce the plans as soon as Friday after making the decision at a board meeting on Tuesday in Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter. The factory could be producing chips by the end of 2023 at the earliest, they said, adding that both the State and Commerce Departments are involved in the plans.”
“Politically, the announcement could be a win for President Trump who has been campaigning to get companies to build in the US. He has also been looking to make sure that Republicans retain their majority in the US Senate. Arizona Senator Martha McSally is among the Republicans facing a tough challenge in this November’s election.”
“We shouldn’t have supply chains. We should have them all in the US,’ the president said on Fox Business on Thursday, when discussing production during the pandemic.”
“TSMC had been talking to US officials as well as to Apple Inc., one of its largest customers, about building a chip factory in the US for some time, but the conversations gained momentum recently as concerns mounted about the fragility of the Asian supply chain, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Source 9to5Mac
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According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, cited by Reuters, the Trump administration is negotiating with chip-makers about the possibility of building factories in the United States.
Intel Corp and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) have been specifically mentioned by the report that’s relying on information from unnamed sources and documents.
TSMC, for instance, has been in talks both with the U.S. Commerce and Defense departments, as well as Apple — its largest customer — about the topic of building a factory in the U.S.
The report also notes that unnamed U.S. officials want to help Samsung Electronics Co, to expand its contract-manufacturing operations in the United States. Samsung already has a plant in Austin, Texas.
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Huawei is already licking its wounds after being prohibited from using Google…
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Samsung is allegedly offering discounts for its foundry services, according to unnamed sources, in order to win over some of TSMC's clients.
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