TSMC to grab 100% of all AP orders for next year's Apple iPhone?

According to industry sources, Taiwan based TSMC is quickly setting up shop in the expectations that it will receive 100% of the orders for application processors that Apple will purchase for the 2014 version of the Apple iPhone. As quickly as Apple would like to divorce itself from its Korean rival, Samsung is still believed to be producing the AP chips for this year's iPhone model, which is due to be launched in the second half of the year.

To get ready to produce chips in the enormous quantity that Apple requires, TSMC has allegedly started moving equipment into its phase 5 facility of its 12 inch fab that will start production at the end of the year, and begin high-volume manufacturing early next year. The so-called Fab 14 would be TSMC's second plant capable of using the 20nm production process and is located in southern Taiwan.

With equipment moving into Fab 14 a little less than a year after groundbreaking, it seems that TSMC is moving quickly, probably at Apple's request, so that the Cupertino based tech giant can break things off with Samsung as soon as possible. Following the epic patent trial between Apple and Samsung that ended last year with a jury award in Apple's favor, a second major trial is scheduled for March 2014.

source: DigiTimes