GlobalFoundries Prepares to Manufacture A-Series Chips for iDevices in New York

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Corroborating earlier rumours claiming that GlobalFoundries could start manufacturing Apple’s A-series chips, the Times Union reports (via MacRumors) that the former is making preparations to make chips for iDevices at its Malta, New York-based Fab 8.

It turns out, Samsung will help GlobalFoundries to kick off production: Apple brings the magic, Samsung the recipe, and GlobalFoundries adds its Fab 8 facility for the A-series chips to materialize.

A small team from Samsung is going to come to Fab 8 with Apple’s chip-making “recipies.” Samsung will help GlobalFoundries set up the manufacturing processes at Fab 8 that will be needed to make the chips. It is unclear if that process will begin before the TDC is completed.

Apple’s sole chip supplier is Samsung, but due to the fierce battle between the two tech giants both in the courts and in the smartphone market, Apple has been trying to reduce its reliance on the South Korean chip manufacturer.

This is how the long-rumoured TSMC-Apple deal materialized earlier this year, but the Taiwanese company will only supply the chips starting next year. Samsung will still remain in the supply chain providing a portion of the chips.

It’s unclear if GlobalFoundries will be making the chips with Samsung as the customer on behalf of Apple, or if Apple will be the direct customer, with Samsung helping set up the operation to mirror what it does in Austin. Either way, Apple will be the ultimate customer.

As it turns out, Samsung and GlobalFoundries already “synced” (sync: any of the companies can make a chip the same way) four fabs two years ago, and that includes the Fab 8, where the latter plans to manufacture A-series Apple chips.

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