Out with the old, in with the new. Following through on its alleged plans to push Samsung completely out, Apple has reportedly made a deal with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to begin manufacturing the fourth-generation iPad’s A6X processor in the first quarter of 2013.
Rumors of Apple switching to TSMC for chip supply have been going on for the past few months. It’s not a huge surprise that Apple is cutting ties with Samsung, which is one of its biggest competitors and rivals, both in the market and in the patent battles the two companies still find themselves in.
While Apple designs its own mobile device processors, it contracts out to other companies to build them. Apple has relied heavily on Samsung for years but the recent patent battles have put a dent in that relationship and Apple has been working hard to find new alternatives.
Apple’s interest in TSMC is partially based on the company’s independent status, but also on the 20nm design process that TSMC specializes in. Future quad-core A-series chips could really benefit from a 20nm design that TSMC would be able to provide.
Image Credit: Geek
