Apple may move A-series processor manufacturing from Samsung to TSMC

[Ry]

Apple may tap TSMC to move A-series mobile chips to 28nm process

Industry sources claim Apple could begin sourcing its A-series mobile processors from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacture Company sometime in 2013, according to DigiTimes. The prospects of such a move are a concern for TSMC's other major clients, including Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Broadcom, and Altera, as Apple's SoC needs could swallow up a big portion of TSMC's production capacity.

Samsung is currently the sole source for the A5, A6, and A6X processors used in Apple's mobile devices. Despite the five-year history of Samsung as a major supplier for Apple, the relationship between the two companies has been strained by a steady stream of litigation over smartphone designs and patents.

 

[Bears]

Read about this earlier. I wonder how big of a dent that will make in Samsung's pocket. Not an unexpected move by Apple either.