Apple continues to maintain its relationship with Samsung even though both companies have been at each other’s necks in courts around the world. The latter provides crucial components for the former’s devices, including but not limited to displays and processors. Once again Samsung may have been tasked to lead the production of Apple A9 chip, which we expect to see in the next generation iPhone and iPads, due to be unveiled next year.
A new report from Taiwanese trade publication claims, citing supply chain sources as always, that Samsung Electronics and Globalfoundries have received orders for 14nm FinFET process from Apple and Qualcomm. Samsung has worked with Globalfoundries in the past for overflow capacity, both for Apple’s chips and its own.
Since related foundry services on the 14nm FinFET process are expected to being sometime next year it is almost certain that these chips won’t be making their debut in 2014. Countless rumors have claimed that Apple is seeking to move chip production away from Samsung and while it hasn’t handed the reins over to TSMC completely as rumored, it is believed that Intel might be a potential supplier for the production of A9 chips. TMSC is expected to bid for a piece of the pie as well.
Samsung is still pretty much involved in the chip production for Apple’s mobile devices, even though it has been rumored many times that the bulk of the manufacturing would be moved off to TSMC. Apple hasn’t taken that step yet since Samsung’s scale and volume seems to be a bit too much to pass on.
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