Per The Wall Street Journal, Apple has signed a contract to partner with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to build the next generation of processor chips for its upcoming mobile devices in as early as 2014. TSMC plans to begin mass production of their chips using advanced “20-nm” technology, which also means the chips will be potentially smaller, as well as more power-efficient.
This development is the result of Apple’s decision to rely less on its competitor, Samsung, as a supplier of internal components. Even before 2012, Apple was already diversifying its list of suppliers for RAM chips, flash memories, and displays. As for processor chips, Apple have already started designing its own chips since many generations ago, but still requires a third-party company to oversee the manufacturing process.
This attempt to distance away from Samsung comes as no surprise, as the twp electronic giants have been in a legal dispute over their mobile devices for years now.
TSMC plans to start mass-producing the chips early next year using advanced “20-nanometer” technology, which makes the chips potentially smaller and more energy-efficient.
