Apple’s A16 chips are now being fabricated at TSMC’s Arizona facility, according to a report from Taiwan-based independent journalist Tim Culpan. The A16 chip are reportedly being produced in small quantities. The chips are said to be fabricated using the same 4nm N4P process employed in TSMC’s Taiwan factories.
Apple’s A16 SoC, which first debuted two years ago in the iPhone 14 Pro, is currently being manufactured at Phase 1 of TSMC’s Fab 21 in Arizona in small, but significant, numbers, my sources tell me. Volume will ramp up considerably when the second stage of the Phase 1 fab is completed and production is underway, putting the Arizona project on track to hit its target for production in the first-half of 2025.
The facility is expected to ramp up production significantly when the second stage of its first phase is completed. Full-scale manufacturing is projected to begin the first half of 2025.
It’s unclear which specific Apple devices will use these Arizona-made A16 chips, although they could be used in an iPad model update or the next-generation iPhone SE, as recent reports indicate the iPhone SE 4 will be based on the iPhone 14, which was the first device to be powered by the A16 processor.
TSMC’s Arizona facility was partially financed by the U.S. Commerce Department with $6.6 billion in grants and as much as $5 billion in loans for the advancement of semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. TSMC is also eligible to claim an investment tax credit of up to 25% of capital expenditures.