TSMC has too many requests, Apple looks to the competition for iPhone 19 chips

For nearly a decade, the Cupertino company has relied on TSMC exclusively for the production of its semiconductors, a historic collaboration inaugurated with the debut of the A10 chip. This solid agreement has guaranteed Apple priority access to the market’s most advanced process technologies, spanning from 7 to 3 nanometers.

However, the incredible surge in global demand related to generative artificial intelligence is putting a strain on its manufacturing capabilities.

Facing this growing saturation, Apple is exploring new avenues, opening preliminary dialogues with Intel and Samsung to identify secondary supply sources capable of meeting future volumes.

Apple weighs Intel and Samsung foundries for i21 chips

The new strategic choices of the California company are clearly intertwined with the recent directives from Washington, strongly oriented toward technological independence and silicon production on American soil.

Following this track, Apple already expects to obtain over 100 million chips from TSMC’s plant in Arizona by the end of 2026.

In this complex framework of supply chain reorganization, Intel emerges as a top-tier candidate. The United States government acquired a 10% equity stake in the company last year, officially recognizing it as a national strategic asset.

Le informazioni trapelate indicano che Apple has analyzed the initial results of Intel’s development kits, showing a strong interest in the manufacturing process named 18A-P. This enhanced variant promises 9% higher performance and an 18% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the base node.

Analysts believe that the future A21 entry-level processor is the ideal candidate to test this new industrial partnership.

The Samsung option and the 2-nanometer advancement

Parallel to the contacts with Intel, Apple executives have conducted high-level visits to Samsung’s massive, under-construction factory in Taylor, Texas.

This imposing facility also benefits from the American CHIPS Act incentives and is currently conducting production tests for its 2-nanometer node, leveraging extremely high-precision extreme ultraviolet lithography technologies.

If Apple decided to rely on Samsung Foundry, the focus would very likely fall on this production process, identified by the code SF2.

Mass production at the Texas plant is scheduled for the 2027, a timeline that would align perfectly with the launch window expected for the A21 chips.

Le implicazioni per i futuri smartphone e per l’industria

Apple’s final industrial plans remain strictly confidential, but experts speculate that the A21 processor will debut on the base models of the iPhone 19.

The strategy could foresee a clear division of tasks: Intel or Samsung would handle the fabrication of silicon destined for standard devices, while TSMC would continue to exclusively forge the chips for the Pro line variants.

Although operating costs undoubtedly weigh heavily in the decisions, it is highly unlikely that Cupertino would agree to compromise the user experience for its customers, demanding quality standards identical to those currently in place.

The volumes at stake are enormous, considering that in 2025 alone nearly 250 million iPhones were sold worldwide.

Even securing production for entry-level models would represent an extraordinary economic and reputational return for any foundry able to close the deal.