Samsung to Supply Apple 14nm A9 Chips in 2015 [Rumour]

Just two weeks after The Wall Street Journal’s sources confirmed the contract between Apple and TSMC for the company’s A-series chips, starting next year, the Korea Economic Daily reports (via MacRumors) that Samsung regained its old and biggest client, Apple. Samsung Electronics will supply A9 chips based on a 14nm process for Apple starting in 2015.

Samsung Electronics will supply mobile application processor (AP) to Apple Inc. from 2015. The mobile AP is a brain of Apple’s iPhone. Samsung Electronics will supply 14 nano A9 chips that will be used for Apple’s iPhone 7.

According to industry sources on July 14, Samsung Electronics signed an agreement with Apple to supply the next-generation AP that it will produce in 2015. The AP that will be produced using 14 nano FinFET technology is mounted on Apple’s iPhone 7 to be released in the second half of 2015.

Earlier last month, Digitimes’ sources have heard that TSMC and Apple have signed a three-year agreement to provide the A8, A9, and A9X chips for Apple’s iDevices. The WSJ, on the other hand, revealed that Samsung could remain Apple’s primary supplier in 2014, even with the — long rumoured — TSMC deal on.

Considering the above, it remains to be seen whether Samsung or TSMC (or maybe both) will supply A9 chips for Apple. The fact is, Samsung has been a long-term supplier of iDevice chips, but the legal battle across multiple countries has turned their relationship from good to worse.

As a result, Apple has made efforts to distance itself from Samsung. The latter has been looking in China for new clients to offset the loss that Apple’s departure brings, but they kept working together in several areas.