Production by Samsung of the A9 chip destined for next year’s iPhones and iPads is underway, according to a report in Korea’s Electronic Times.
It had been reported back in July that Samsung had received some orders for the chips, which the company effectively confirmed in October when the president of the company’s chip-making division said that profits would improve once it began supplying its latest-generation chips to Apple …
According to industry insiders on December 11, Samsung Electronics began production of Apple’s A9 in the Austin plant in the US using the 14nm FinFET technology. Samsung has production lines capable of FinFET process production in Austin, US and Giheung, Korea, but began to produce A9 only in Austin as it is in the initial stage.
It’s not yet known whether Samsung will make 100% of the A9 chips – it makes only around 40% of the current A8, with TSMC taking the majority of the orders – but appears well-placed to do so. Samsung has demonstrated a 14 nanometer process while rival TSMC has as yet promised only 16 nanometer chips for next year: if Apple wants to take advantage of the latest chip tech, Samsung is the only supplier able to deliver.
Via The Verge
