TSMC, the company thought set to make the entire volume of processors for the upcoming iPhone 7, will ramp up its production of 16-nanometer chips this month, DigiTimes claims.
That Taiwan-based news source, citing a recent report from the Chinese-language Economic Daily News, says that TSMC’s monthly output of 16nm chips will reach 80,000 12-inch wafers later in March – that’s compared to 40,000 in February.
TSMC co-CEO CC Wei recently told investors that his company’s take of the 14/16nm foundry market will surpass 70% in 2016 – up from about 40% last year. With Apple said to be one of TSMC’s leading 16nm customers, the Taiwanese chipmaker could be readying itself to supply components for the iPhone 7 and other future Apple devices expected to be in high demand.
Recent rumor suggests that Apple decided to hand all production of the iPhone 7 processor to TSMC to ensure more consistent performance for the next generation of iPhone devices.