Apple’s greed could be Samsung’s gain
It is no secret that Apple and TSMC have a close working relationship. In fact, you could even credit TSMC’s advancements in chip production that helped Apple achieve its goals when it comes to chipsets used in its iPhones, iPads, and the Apple Silicon Macs.
This is why it’s not surprising to learn that according to a report from DigiTimes, Apple has managed to secure 90% of TSMC’s 3nm production capacity, which means that other companies who want to use TSMC’s services are kind of left in the lurch, but this could be good news for others like Samsung.
Samsung has their own chip foundry business and just last year, the company announced that they would begin production on chips built on the 3nm process. Prior to this, TSMC was one of the few, if not the only, company who could do so. With Apple locking up the majority of TSMC’s capacity, it means that companies like Samsung could benefit as other companies will have little to no one else to turn to if they’re hoping to manufacture their own 3nm chipsets.
For those unfamiliar, a smaller manufacturing process means that the distance between the transistors on a chipset are closer, which in turn allows for faster speeds and more energy efficiency. This is important as we have reached the stage where smartphone tech has hit a plateau and the differences between the hardware used in our mobile devices are marginal, so having an edge like this could allow companies to stay ahead of the competition.
Source: SamMobile