TSMC Reportedly 'On Track' to Begin Volume Production of A14 Chips for iPhones Despite Pandemic

Tuesday March 31, 2020 7:13 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

TSMC is "on track" to begin volume production of 5nm chips in April, despite "recent speculation" indicating that the foundry had been requested by Apple to defer production of A14 processors by one or two quarters, according to DigiTimes.

a14 bionic clean
A paywalled preview of the report claims that TSMC's manufacturing lines remain fully booked for 5nm chips amid the current pandemic.

TSMC has been Apple's exclusive supplier of A-series chips since 2016, and its chips have gradually become smaller as it continues to refine its manufacturing process, benefitting performance, battery life, and thermal management on iPhones.

Apple plans to introduce four high-end iPhone 12 models with 5G support in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Due to the ongoing pandemic, however, there have been conflicting reports on exactly when Apple will unveil its latest iPhones.

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Top Rated Comments

motm95

86 months ago

5nm is incredible, and I'm sure the A14 chip will be an improvement, but the transition back to a Qualcomm modem chip may be even more important.

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

now i see it

86 months ago

but the iPhone 12 is going to be late. No wait- it's going to be on time. No wait- it's going to be late. No wait...

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

HappyIntro

86 months ago

Why is it so hard just to skip this year iPhones we’re in a pandemic

Because millions of people are going to want to buy them. Shutting down production also causes more people to lose their jobs, so those workers stop spending, which causes more people to lose their jobs, etc., etc.

The best way to make the economic mess caused by the pandemic much worse is for people to slam their wallets shut in some knee-jerk manner.

Those that have the money and want the product, by all means purchase...I know I'm going to buy my son a new phone for his graduation present.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

EugW

86 months ago

In 2020, I’m in for an A14 iPhone and an A14X iPad Pro, both with Qualcomm 5G.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

recoil80

86 months ago

I am pretty sure most will defer their purchases this year. People will only buy if their phones break. We still don’t know when this whole Covid-19 pandemic will be over. Apple is really underestimating the gravity of the situation.

I don't think Apple is underestimating the situation. Each iPhone takes time for development and production, even if they cancel the project today a lot of work has already been done.
Sales will be really low this year compared to 2019, I think Apple is quite aware of that. But even selling in lower volumes is better than skipping a new iPhone and don't sell anything at all. Maybe they'll postpone some features to 2021 to boost upgrades, but they made an agreement with Qualcomm for 5G to have it on the 2020 iPhone so I bet we'll see at least a 5G model this year.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)