tsmc Archives - SlashGear

Smartphone prices could rise as TSMC raises chip fees

Ewdison Then | Sep 6, 2021

There was a time when smartphone prices were getting ridiculously high, and there didn't seem to be any stopping that trend. Market dynamics and global events like the COVID-19 pandemic, however, did at least put a pause on it or made more affordable but still capable phones more enticing to consumers. Unfortunately, another worldwide situation is causing havoc in multiple industries with rippling effects on product prices. One such unfavorable effect will be a foreseeable increase in smartphone prices next year now that TSMC, the world's biggest semiconductor foundry, has announced its biggest price hike in a decade.

iPhone 13 price may be first hit in chip sea change

Chris Burns | Aug 26, 2021

Chipmaker TSMC reportedly notified partners they'll be raising prices for hardware this year. As has been the case with several major hardware manufacturers over the past year, price hikes are coming to chipmakers in a significant way. The biggest client of the chipmaker TSMC is Apple, and the first product that'll likely see a change in cost is the iPhone 13.

2022 iPhones and Macs might run on 3nm processors

Ewdison Then | Aug 10, 2021

Smartphones and laptops are getting more powerful every year, but those improvements do carry some costs, like power consumption and thermal output. It isn't enough to just cram in more battery or add cooling fans inside, and some strategies to counter those side effects involve shrinking down components. Processors, for example, grow increasingly smaller to squeeze out more performance and energy efficiency. That is pretty much the expectation for Apple's next iPhones and late 2022 Macs as it jumps from its current 5nm chips to a tinier 3nm process.

Apple and Intel reportedly tap 3nm chip tech for 2022 iPad and laptops

Chris Davies | Jul 2, 2021

Apple and Intel could launch chips based on cutting-edge 3-nanometer production as soon as 2022, industry sources claim, with both companies said to have jumped on TSMC's next-gen processes. Though it'll be some time before 3nm is the standard for processors, the promise is a cut in power consumption while at the same time boosting performance.

Report claims Apple and TSMC are teaming to build micro OLED displays

Shane McGlaun | Feb 10, 2021

A report is making the rounds that claims Apple is partnering with TSMC to develop micro- OLED displays specifically to be used in upcoming augmented reality devices. Apple currently works with TSMC on multiple fronts. Specifically, TSMC is the sole supplier of processors for the iPhone.

New iMac release with Apple chip may change your next buy plan

Chris Burns | Oct 27, 2020

Apple Silicon MacBooks are only the first MacOS computers to roll with the company's own-designed processors. Tips from supply chain sources this week suggest Apple is hard at work on its first desktop computer processor as well. This could change the way MacOS computers work (and play). Will this change your plans to buy a new computer in the near future?

Intel tipped to hire TSMC to help make some chips

Chris Burns | Jul 28, 2020

In an unprecedented move by one of the largest chipmakers in the world, a report suggests Intel's ordered work done by TSMC. Last week's Intel earnings call (July 23, 2020) had CEO Bob Swan mention they'd "invested in contingency plans to hedge against further schedule uncertainty," and that this could mean working with "somebody else's foundry" to manufacture hardware.

TSMC confident Huawei Kirin chips won’t be a huge loss

Ewdison Then | Jun 9, 2020

The US might be singling out Huawei in its spat with China but the world's second-biggest phone maker isn't the only one that is being affected by it. In light of the US Commerce Department's new trade rules, companies that export products or provide services to Huawei are now uncertain whether they will be able to keep the Chinese manufacturer as a lucrative customer. One of the biggest of those is semiconductor maker TSMC, though the Taiwan-based foundry seems not to be that worried even if it loses Huawei.

2020’s 5G iPhone could have more than one big surprise inside

Chris Davies | Oct 30, 2019

Apple's 5G iPhone plans include three models for 2020, all with 5G and all using a new, 5nm processor, insiders familiar with the Cupertino company's big plans for next year suggest. The smartphone maker has been widely expected to enter the 5G market in 2020, holding off from following Android OEMs in launching this year for reasons both tactical and practical.

The 2019 iPhone just hit a huge milestone

Chris Davies | May 10, 2019

Apple has given the green-light to production of its next-generation chip, insiders claim, set to power the 2019 iPhone range which will pack even more cameras than today. The Apple A13 will be the successor to the A12 Bionic, announced in 2018, which is found in the current iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

2020 iPhone 5G will reportedly have a big (and tiny) chip surprise inside

Chris Davies | Feb 22, 2019

Apple's 2020 iPhone could make a significant architecture change inside, adopting 5nm chips for the first time as the Cupertino firm refines its iOS platform. The current iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max use Apple's A12 Bionic processor, which is built on a 7 nanometer process.

Trouble at TSMC: Huawei, NVIDIA, Apple chipmaker sees chemical issue

Chris Burns | Jan 28, 2019

Manufacturer TSMC sent a statement that outlined a chemical issue which will have an impact on production this quarter. TSMC suggested that they'd "discovered a shipment of chemical material used in the manufacturing process that deviated from the specification and will impact wafer yield." The report does not name Apple as a key partner in the site at which the chemical issue took place. Manufacturing at the specified plant currently generally focus on NVIDIA, MediaTek, and Huawei hardware components.