Apple and Samsung don’t exactly have the best relationship. Granted their lawsuits against one another have stopped gracing the headlines as of late, but it is safe to assume that their relationship will never be the same again. However if the rumors are to be believed, it looks like Apple will still need to rely on Samsung for future A-series processors.
According to the latest rumors, word on the street has it that for the upcoming A9 chipset, Apple could be relying heavily on Samsung for them. Samsung is said to supply 75% of Apple’s A9 chipset where presumably the remaining will be supplied by TSMC. The A9 chipset is also said to be produced at the company’s factory in Austin, Texas.
The back and forth between Apple, TSMC, and Samsung is well documented. We had heard earlier this year that TSMC would be leading the charge in the A9’s production, so we can’t be sure why Apple could have potentially switched back to Samsung. Perhaps TSMC’s yields weren’t good enough and quality was not up to scratch, although that does seem unlikely.
TSMC has been in the business for a while and they were responsible for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus’ A8 chipset, so obviously they can deliver. In any case it should be taken with a grain of salt for now, but check back with us later for more details.