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Rumors of Apple switching its chip manufacturing from Samsung to TSMC have persisted for a long, long time. However, they may be more substantial this time around: the Wall Street Journal claims that Apple quietly signed a deal with TSMC earlier this month. The agreement reportedly has TSMC taking over some of Apple’s chip production in 2014. Technical setbacks kept the agreement from happening any sooner, according to the sources. Neither company is commenting on the accuracy of the story, although few would doubt Apple’s incentives to reduce its dependency on Samsung-made silicon — it’s not keen on funding a primary competitor.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Samsung

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Source: Wall Street Journal

According to a new report Apple has roped in TSMC for three years to develop its 20nm A8, 16nm A9 and 10nm A9X processors for next generation iOS devices.

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We’ve all heard the rumors at how Apple is looking to reduce their dependence on Samsung for their components, namely Apple’s AX chipset which is currently being manufactured by the South Korean company. This is due to an ongoing lawsuit between both companies in which both sides allege that the other party has infringed upon one of their patents. Regardless, a fresh set of rumors has emerged and according to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, they claim that Apple’s contract with Samsung is coming to an end and that Apple has no plans to renew it.

Instead the manufacturing of Apple’s rumored A7 chipset will go to none other than TSMC who will be building the chipset on a smaller 20nm process in 2014 and will find its way into the iPhone 6. Assuming this is true, the implications of this means that Apple’s rumored iPhone 5S, scheduled for release later this year, will not come with the newer A7 chipset, and we could instead be looking at the A6X which debuted in the iPad 4. We’ve heard all sorts of rumors regarding Apple’s choice of manufacturers for their chipset, ranging from TSMC to possibly even Intel, so take this with a grain of salt for now.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: US Department Of Defense Reportedly Planning On Buying 650,000 iOS Devices, Apple said to have turned to Intel for manufacturing of their mobile chipsets [Rumor],

Panasonic isn’t just looking to get out of the plasma TV business but to shed its little-loved smartphone division too, Japanese reports claim, with HTC and chip fab TSMC tipped as potential bedfellows for the mobile team. Having seen its ELUGA range of waterproof phones fail to gain traction, Panasonic is considering shedding the ailing division altogether, the Sankei Shimbun reports, with insiders pointing to some unexpected interest.

HTC requires little introduction in the smartphone business, though its fortunes have been slightly less rosy over the past eighteen months. The company faces its own struggles right now, with problems securing sufficient components for its new flagship One and thus meeting its own launch schedule.

TSMC, however, is perhaps less well known. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited, is actually the biggest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry, with clients including Apple, Qualcomm, and NVIDIA for its chipset production.

What use, however, it might have with Panasonic Mobile Communications is unclear, though the company continues to provide devices for the main carriers in the Japanese market. It also produces base-station and infrastructure equipment, which could be potential recipients for TSMC SoCs.

The HTC connection is more obvious, and HTC has had some recent success in the Japanese market with the J Butterfly (the local version of the DROID DNA) which could have whet its appetite for more. We asked HTC for a statement, but the company told us it does not comment on rumor and speculation.

Discussions between the three firms are supposedly ongoing, the Japanese paper claims, though price and a commitment to retaining the workforce are supposedly the key thorns in negotiations. Panasonic had hoped to broaden its smartphone footprint by returning to the European market in 2012, after withdrawing back to Japan-only sales in late 2005.

[via Unwired View]

HTC and TSMC talks tipped for Panasonic smartphone buy-out is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With the pattern ringing true for some time now, it’s not unbelievable in the slightest when one hears a tip of a so-called “A7″ chip in Apple’s future for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. What’s slightly more questionable is the possibility that part of the production of this chip might be done by Intel. With word of Apple aiming to pull away from Samsung in their chip production across the board having been an unofficial understanding for quite a few months now, it seems that Intel might be aiming to grab a piece of the pie.

This news comes from DigiTimes – a publication which you’ll certainly want to take some measure of salt listening to – speaking with unnamed “institutional investors.” The note speaks of Apple’s business aiming for Intel with an approximate 10% chop of the market in creating this next-generation mobile SoC. As for the rest of the pie, a rumor persists that TSMC – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – will be rolling in the production.

The newest break-up of production, again according to DigiTimes, is a 50/40/10 sharing of efforts, with Samsung keeping the largest slice while TSMC takes the 40 and Intel takes the 10. In the end, the A7 chip will remain Apple-branded and, unlike smartphones made by most other major manufacturers, the processor inside the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch will only be promoted as Apple-made. We’ll have to wait until the tear-down and magnifying glass up-close looks to be sure.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information on what Apple’s A-series chips have been up to, and stick around later this year to hear all about what’s almost certainly going to be the iPhone 5S, too. Is it time for the A7 chip to go much more than multi-core? Quite possibly!

[via DigiTimes]

Apple A7 chip tipped with Intel inside is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.