Thursday, September 19th 2024
TSMC Produces Apple A16 Chips in Arizona Facility, a First on the American Soil
TSMC has reportedly initiated production of Apple's last-generation A16 Bionic processors at its newly constructed Fab 21 in Arizona. This development comes significantly earlier than anticipated, with the facility's full-scale production initially scheduled for 2025. According to insights from industry expert Tim Culpan, the Arizona plant is already churning out a modest but noteworthy quantity of A16 Bionic chips. These processors are being manufactured using TSMC's NP4 4 nm semiconductor node. Culpan also hinted at a substantial increase in production capacity once the second stage of Fab 21's initial phase becomes operational.
This early start serves a critical function for TSMC, allowing the company to calibrate its advanced equipment and refine its manufacturing processes thoroughly. Using the well-established A16 Bionic design, TSMC can ensure its new facility meets the exacting standards required for next-generation semiconductor production. The news aligns with recent industry buzz suggesting that Fab 21 is already achieving yield rates comparable to TSMC's long-established Taiwanese plants—a remarkable feat for a newly launched facility. While current output remains limited, this milestone marks a significant step in TSMC's expansion into US-based chip manufacturing. With more fabs on American soil, companies can push domestic manufacturing and ensure that geopolitics don't hinder the vital supply chain.
Sources:
Tim Culpan, via Tom's Hardware
This early start serves a critical function for TSMC, allowing the company to calibrate its advanced equipment and refine its manufacturing processes thoroughly. Using the well-established A16 Bionic design, TSMC can ensure its new facility meets the exacting standards required for next-generation semiconductor production. The news aligns with recent industry buzz suggesting that Fab 21 is already achieving yield rates comparable to TSMC's long-established Taiwanese plants—a remarkable feat for a newly launched facility. While current output remains limited, this milestone marks a significant step in TSMC's expansion into US-based chip manufacturing. With more fabs on American soil, companies can push domestic manufacturing and ensure that geopolitics don't hinder the vital supply chain.
19 Comments on TSMC Produces Apple A16 Chips in Arizona Facility, a First on the American Soil
"a fist" or a first in the title?
"S"martest
"M"manufacturing
"C"ompany.....
Kudos to them for getting this fab up & running ahead of schedule, hopefully just the 1st of many, many more fabs here in the good ole US of A :D
Either way that's a little terrifying.
What the AAA gaming industry does in the west very similar : toxicity, workers abuse, potentially getting fired over small mishap or offending someone higher up, crunch time, being gaslighted if you complain for being ungrateful and so on.
I was half joking, but when you see that the company that’s leading by a miles the bleeding edge market uses such methods, you got to wonder just how hard working in that field became those past few years.
The latest is A18 Pro.
Tons of reads and comments and nobody notices that?
Putting on our cracked pots, this could be signs of a 4th generation iPhone SE with an A16 chip sliding in a little while after the iPhone 16 line. It has been a while since they updated it...