Connected Apple analyst says TSMC will provide 30% of A9 chips for next iPhone

Earlier this month, reports had TSMC shut out of producing the Apple A9 chip that will power the next iteration of the iPhone. That report claimed that Samsung and GlobalFoundries would be responsible for 100% of A9 production. But KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, perhaps the most reliable source for all things Apple, says that TSMC will get 30% of the A9 business. This echoes an earlier report from back in January related to TSMC's slice of the A9 pie.

According to Kuo, Global Foundries' yield producing the A9 has been a horrible 30%. A 50% yield is the lowest acceptable for mass production. In addition, Apple has been surprisingly pleased by TSMC's 16nm capabilities. And the smashing success of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has Apple brass concerned that Samsung will be using its resources to produce the home grown Exynos chips used in those two handsets. The Exynos 7420 is produced using the 14nm process.

So Apple feels strongly that it needs TSMC to make sure that its chip requirements are met for what is expected to be a bit more than an evolutionary update for the next iPhone models. Apple could add the Force Touch feature employed by the Apple Watch and a dual camera set up to what could be called the Apple iPhone 6c and Apple iPhone 6c Plus. Another rumor says that Apple will also include the Taptic Engine used in its smartwatch and that the next models will be called the Apple iPhone 6s and Apple iPhone 6s Plus.

Considering that reports over which firm(s) would be producing the A9 have been going back and forth, this will surely not be the last word on the matter. Last month, one story had TSMC producing 70% of the A9/A9X chips to be used for the next-gen iPhone and iPad. Two months earlier, TSMC was said to be producing half of those chips. That same month, another report had Samsung responsible for 75% of A9 production.

source: MacRumours