Apple Talks Intel and Samsung for Future Chip Production
Apple has been in discussion with intel and Samsung about future production of its device processors. The talks point to a possible shift in how Apple spreads chip manufacturing across suppliers, with the clearest immediate effect being on older devices rather than the latest models.
Intel and Samsung
reported that Apple is seeking to reduce its reliance on Taiwan's TSMC as its sole supplier of A-series and M-series chips. Apple previously bought iPhone and Mac processors from Intel and Samsung, so the current talks look less like a new relationship than a return to a supplier model Apple has used before.
Apple split A-series chip production between TSMC and Samsung for a long time. Mac CPUs were off-the-shelf Intel processors before Apple moved to M-series chips. That history gives Apple a practical reason to reopen conversations if it wants more than one manufacturing path for core parts.
TSMC and Taiwan Risk
TSMC became the only company able to make the most advanced chips for flagship iPhones. TSMC was also the only fabricator able to produce Apple's M-series chips for the Mac. That concentration leaves Apple dependent on one supplier for its newest devices.
Apple prefers to have at least two competing suppliers for key components to negotiate the best price and guard against supply chain disruption. Taiwan remains under prolonged threat from China, and a 2024 report said TSMC and ASML had made joint plans to remotely disable the machines in the event of an invasion.
Older Chips First
It is far from clear that Intel or Samsung can catch up with TSMC. The most likely scenario is that they would only be able to make larger-process chips for older devices in Apple's product line-up, which would leave the latest iPhones and Macs tied to TSMC.
That split would avoid forcing Apple to move its highest-end devices away from the supplier that already makes its most advanced chips. It would also leave open a tougher issue if Intel or Samsung ever reached TSMC's level, because supposedly identical chips from different fabs can diverge in quality, and Apple has already seen supplier differences in displays, including the 2021 drop of LG as an LCD iPhone screen supplier.
Ben Lovejoy said the difference between supposedly identical Snapdragon 8 chips made by Samsung and TSMC was significant enough that the Taiwanese version was branded as the Snapdragon 8 Plus.
