Future A and M chips: Softening TSMC dependency with Intel and Samsung? | News

It was a decade ago when people didn’t know whether the main chip was from TSMC or Samsung before buying an iPhone. If you got an A9 from Samsung, the energy requirement was slightly higher – Apple spoke of a two to three percent difference at the time. It was only with the A10 that TSMC became an exclusive manufacturer and since then has played an important role in the great progress that Apple has been able to make year after year. However, according to several reports, Cupertino is again working towards being more independent from TSMC. According to Bloomberg, discussions are underway not only with Intel, but also with Samsung.

Talks with Intel and Samsung
According to the report, Apple is in early negotiations with Intel and also toured an under-construction Samsung factory in Texas dedicated to advanced chip manufacturing. According to the report, there are currently no concrete orders or contracts. However, Apple still has concerns about relying on non-TSMC manufacturing technologies for its most important chips. Although Samsung is an established contract manufacturer, it is still behind TSMC in the top range – Intel can hardly hold a candle to TSMC either.

However, TSMC is clearly considered the leader
TSMC is considered a leader in multiple disciplines – not only because of the technologies themselves, but also because of scale, yield and consistent quality. According to Bloomberg, this is exactly where the biggest doubts lie about Intel and Samsung, because neither could possibly serve Apple so reliably to the extent and consistency that made TSMC Apple’s most important partner.

Geopolitics another factor
In addition to supply chain issues, geopolitics also plays a role. Apple’s key chips continue to be made in Taiwan, while tensions between China and Taiwan pose a structural risk. Partial production in other countries would not eliminate this risk, but would at least spread it. A realistic scenario would probably be less to commission several manufacturers for current top chips in the future, but rather to entrust the additional partners with the weaker or previous series.