TSMC Allegedly Wins Exclusive A11 Chip Orders

Samsung is allegedly losing ground to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in terms of chip orders: TSMC has allegedly secured not only A10 chip orders powering this year’s iPhone 7, but also the A11, according to the Chinese Economic Daily (via Digitimes).

Tsmc

TSMC is already the exclusive manufacturer of Apple’s A10 chip which will power the upcoming iPhone series slated for launch in September 2016. The Taiwan-based foundry will continue to be the sole supplier of Apple’s next-generation A11 processor that will be built on a 10nm FinFET process, the report indicated, without citing its sources.

The A11 chip, which is expected to power next year’s “iPhone 8”, will be built using a 10 nm FinFET process, according to sources speaking with the Chinese news outlet. Industry sources had already whispered in May that TSMC had begun taping out the design for the A11 processor. Small volume production is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2017.

TSMC CEO Mark Liu announced that the manufacturer’s first 10 nm customer product “has been produced with satisfactory functional yield, and so far three customer products have been taped out.”

Apple’s iPhone 8 is expected to feature a major redesign, with the rumour mill talking about a possible glass body and OLED display with integrated Touch ID.

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