TSMC has begun production of A15 chip for new iPhone 13 series – Report

A Taiwanese publisher, DigiTimes reports that Apple’s manufacturing partner TSMC has begun production of the A15 Bionic chip for the next-generation iPhone 13 series. The claims corroborate the publisher’s previous report which stated that the new A15 processor will go into production in May.

The Semiconduction Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is Apple’s long-term partner that has been behind the newly launch A14 Bionic chip introduced in the latest flagship iPhone 12 series. Built on 5nm process, the A14 chip is called the “fastest chip in a smartphone” by Apple. Therefore, it is expected that the next-generation processor of the upcoming iPhone 13 series will much faster than the already fast A14 Bionic chip.

Production of the iPhone 13 new processing chip has begun

Renowned tech analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed that unlike iPhone 12 which was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and lockdowns, the iPhone 13 series will be launched in the usual September release time. As the next-generation iPhone series is expected to launch in a few months’ time, Apple manufacturing partners have begun production. The report states that:

TSMC has kicked off production for Apple’s next-generation iPhone processor dubbed A15, and will see demand for the chip surpass that for its predecessor last year in scale, according to industry source. 

In addition to TSMC, it is also reported that Foxconn has announced bonuses for employees to ensure a steady workforce for iPhone 13 production at its Zhengzhou plant in China. iPhone models are assembled at Foxconn units in China and India.

It is reported that although the A15 Bionic chip will be built on a 5nm process as the A14 chip, it will be an advanced version of the 5nm process. Called the N5P will deliver improved power efficiency and performance. TrendForce reported that:

“Looking ahead to 2021, in addition to Apple’s 5nm+ wafer input for the A15 Bionic SoC, trial production will also kick off for a small batch of AMD 5nm Zen 4 CPUs. These products will help maintain TSMC’s 5nm capacity utilization rate at an 85-90% range next year.”

iPhone 13 is rumored to be slightly thicker with larger rear camera bumps, will have a smaller notch, with mm5G network support in more countries, a higher 120Hz refresh rate in Pro models, and more.