TSMC and Samsung shared responsibility for making the A9 processor for the iPhone 6S series, but the latter has reportedly been sent packing for manufacture of the iPhone 7’s chip.
The South Korea-based Electronic Times says that TSMC, otherwise dubbed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, has signed a deal with Apple to take on the entire task of making what is likely be called the A10. Reportedly, TSMC’s 10-nanometer making process largely landed it the deal.
It was reported in October that Apple had decided to forgo keeping Samsung on as a processor-making partner for the iPhone 7, as the Cupertino firm had become dissatisfied with the A9 chips made by the South Korean company. This new report means that previously circulating stories of TSMC completely taking over A10 production can now be reiterated with greater confidence.
The news is good not only for TSMC, which recently expressed expectation that its 10-nanometer production would get off to only a slow start in the second half of 2016, but also budding iPhone 7 buyers – as the handsets should deliver more consistent performance than the iPhone 6S range.