TSMC Reportedly Lands A8X Chip Production Orders for 12.9-inch iPad

Digitimes reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Company (TSMC) has landed chip orders for Apple’s forthcoming iPad (Pro?), which will be released sometime next year. Although the source isn’t specific about which iPad the chip is for, the early 2015 launch suggests that it is the 12.9-inch iPad, rumoured to launch next year.

IPad pro Macrumors

Currently, the semiconductor company is manufacturing the A8 chip found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, with total shipments expected to reach 80 million units by the end of this year, which is in line with the wildest analyst estimates of iPhone sales during the holiday quarter.

The source also mentions that the new iPad’s chip is codenamed A8X and is manufactured using a 20 nm process, as are the A8 chips in the iPhone 6 units.

However, the A8X chip is reportedly larger than the A8, so this could pose a challenge to the semiconductor company in terms of yield rates, the sources said.

Apple is expected to unveil the new iPads and a 27-inch Retina iMac at a media event scheduled for tomorrow, October 16, at 10:00 a.m. PT.

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