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Apple to Split Orders at 10 nm?

DigiTimes started it. They are wrong as much as they are right. The article from MF is just a regurgitation of that:

TSMC begins tape-out of 1nm A11 chips for Apple

TSMC begins tape-out of 10nm A11 chips for Apple
Julian Ho, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 6 May 2016]

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has recently begun to tape out the design for Apple's A11 processor built on a 10nm FinFET process, according to industry sources.

TSMC is expected to achieve certification on its 10nm process in the fourth quarter of 2016, and deliver product samples to the customer for validation in the first quarter of 2017, the sources continued.

TSMC could begin small-volume production for Apple's A11 chips as early as the second quarter of 2017, the sources indicated. Building the chips will likely start to generate revenues at TSMC in the third quarter.

TSMC is likely to obtain about two-thirds of the overall A11 chip orders from Apple, the sources said. The A11-series processor will power the iPhone models slated for launch in the second half of 2017.

TSMC has responded saying the company does not comment on market rumors or speculation.
 
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I didn't think Apple would want to design A11 for two different production systems that have vast differences, especially at the bleeding edge, which would present a whole host of challenges. The only possible reason I could see is that Apple would be expecting an exploding demand for a technological leap that would leave their competition in the dust. Apple has already been responsible for a large increase in TSMC's high end capacity. Maybe the rumored two sided display all glass phone with no metal chassis.
 
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Arthur, the last iPhone 6S was powered with the A9 built by both samsung and TSMC in 16FF and 14FF respectively ..
Apple A9 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

it might seems very challenging, but some benefits are : lowering the price by moving the production to the cheapest supplier, mitigate the risk on the technology (if one does not perform well enough, or is too leaky), and avoid also the volume shortage: Samsung might select the exynos as a 1st priority for instance - TSMC another customer who pay more ?
 
simoncc said:
Arthur, the last iPhone 6S was powered with the A9 built by both samsung and TSMC in 16FF and 14FF respectively ..
Apple A9 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

it might seems very challenging, but some benefits are : lowering the price by moving the production to the cheapest supplier, mitigate the risk on the technology (if one does not perform well enough, or is too leaky), and avoid also the volume shortage: Samsung might select the exynos as a 1st priority for instance - TSMC another customer who pay more ?
Click to expand...
I said in another thread that the fact Apple is using InFO makes it difficult. Samsung would have to create an equivalent packaging technology.
 
lefty said:
I said in another thread that the fact Apple is using InFO makes it difficult. Samsung would have to create an equivalent packaging technology.
Click to expand...

I was told by TSMC directly that InFO was proprietary technology and it would not be licensed to others at the present time. Of course if Apple insisted that it be second sourced I imagine it would be.

I also know for a fact that TSMC 10nm and Samsung 10nm are very different processes and will not be easy to migrate a design from one to another like 16nm and 14nm. You also have to remember that TSMC will follow 10nm with 7nm in one year while Samsung will stay on 10nm for two or more years.

Given all that I will guess that Apple will be exclusive to TSMC on 10nm in 2017 and 7nm in 2018. I will dig more into this during my next Taiwan trip, absolutely.
 
Apple has always preferred one supplier. First Motorola, then IBM, then Intel. Then Samsung. Now, TSMC.

It's an interesting question then, why don't they switch 100% to TSMC, following the well-worn Apple pattern? I don't have the exact answer. But I think the approximate answer must be either one of two things: Either there is almost no difference (A9 suggests this is true), making a choice of one or the other arbitrary and thus irrational; or, there are meaningful differences, but they counterbalance and check each other somehow.

I lean toward "Samsung and TSMC are identical".
 
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