Apple chip partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has reportedly begun production of the next-generation A8 chip that will be used in the upcoming iPhone 6 later this year.
Commercial Times, via MacRumors:
The world’s leading contract microchip maker last month started producing the A8 chip, which is tipped to power the expected iPhone 6, the Commercial Times reported.
The report, which cited supply chain sources, said TSMC had won most of the manufacturing orders for logic and power management integrated chips for the new handset.
The new 20-nanometer A8 will reportedly include a quad-core 64-bit processor and quad-core graphics. If production has indeed already begun, the early start could aid Apple in a comfortable third-quarter launch of the new handset.
While Samsung has long been the exclusive manufacturer of Apple’s A-Series chips, the Cupertino firm has been working to wean itself away from it’s South Korean frenemy. While Samsung had indeed contracted to produce a portion of the A8 chips, low yield numbers caused the firm to be dropped as a supplier of this generation of the chips.
