Apple Chip Supplier Hit by Intel Delay Ahead of 'A17 Bionic' Production in 2023

[MacRumors]

Apple chip supplier TSMC is scaling back its plans to produce 3nm chips next year after Intel postponed a major order, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce reports.

Intel reportedly planned to outsource production of its Meteor Lake tGPU chipset to TSMC, with mass production scheduled for the second half of 2022, before being delayed to the first half of 2023 due to design and verification issues. Now, Intel is said to have delayed mass production to the end of 2023, virtually cancelling the 3nm chip production capacity that it had booked with TSMC for most of next year.

As a result, TSMC has apparently been "greatly affected" by the move, forcing it to slow its expansion of 3nm chip production to ensure that production capacity "is not excessively idle, leading to massive cost amortization pressure."

Apple is believed to be the main customer of TSMC's initial 3nm chip mass production. According to the report, Apple is now the only major company among the first wave of 3nm chip production clients with orders scheduled between the second half of 2022 and the start of 2023. Apple's upcoming 3nm chips reportedly include new M-series chips and the "A17 Bionic."

It is not clear if the disruption at TSMC caused by Intel will impact Apple's 3nm chip production volume or schedule. The first 3nm chip from Apple is rumored to be the M2 Pro, debuting in the 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and a high-end Mac mini model.

Article Link: Apple Chip Supplier Hit by Intel Delay Ahead of 'A17 Bionic' Production in 2023

 

[lynxwildcat]

Intel finds another way to screw Apple.

 

[BootsWalking]

Intel is like an ex-spouse - causes you grief even years after you've broken up.

 

[Colstan]

Yet folks still find ways to justify the idea that Apple should have stayed with Intel, despite Intel's repeated, obvious failures.

 

[upandown]

If intel keeps this up, their outsourced chip manufacturers won’t do business with them in the future. I suspect they’ll get 1 or 2 more mistakes like this

 

[Red Oak]

Apple still can’t escape that mess of a company

 

[Adreitz]

Wait, shouldn't this be a good thing? Freeing up TSMC capacity for everyone else?

 

[MayaUser]

Wait, shouldn't this be a good thing? Freeing up TSMC capacity for everyone else?

it would if Apple knew this 6-7 months ago...they could went 3nm with everything from A16-M2 entire family and so on...but now, its kind late for 2022..so it seems 3nm will be a 2023 thing

 

[prism]

Gives me more time to fully enjoy my M1 Pro!

 

[azentropy]

Funny stuff. Basically the original concern was that Intel was going to use all the 3nm production leaving Apple out in the cold and now the fear is that because Intel isn't going to use it that TSMC will not ramp up production since there won't be enough customers leaving Apple out in the cold....

It is almost like someone is trying to spin that whatever happens it will be bad news for Apple!

 

[I7guy]

Gives me more time to fully enjoy my M1 Pro!

Stupid analogy, but is that like enjoying an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend after a breakup but before they start dating again?

TMSC has to be outright livid though with all of that lost business/revenue and capacity, seemingly difficult to recover.

 

[Populus]

I just need to know if Apple’s 3nm chips are following the schedule, because I’m really interested in the next big jump in performance and efficiency on Apple SoCs. I’m sorry for Intel, although I’m not really interested in their products anymore.

 

[rpmurray]

Yet folks still find ways to justify the idea that Apple should have stayed with Intel, despite Intel's repeated, obvious failures.

Including this one.

 

[Luffy3D2Y]

Wait. Wasn't there a chip shortage anyway? Or was that only man made to drive prices

 

[TSE]

The only answer for Apple is to start producing their own chips here in the USA. Refer to this post in fifteen years.

 

[Salty Pirate]

So did Intel do this on purpose to mess with Apple?

It is so shortsighted that we allow something so critical to our nation to be manufactured over seas. Should be made in the USA.

 

[apparatchik]

Intel’s laptop chips have been rendered obsolete in perf per watt, they desperately need the latest fab process, this delay doesn’t help. Check how an M2 MBA comparable laptop perform in this review:

Dell XPS 13 Plus review: XPS plus, battery minus

A killer screen that kills the battery life.

www.theverge.com

 

[Realityck]

Apple chip supplier TSMC is scaling back its plans to produce 3nm chips next year after Intel postponed a major order, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce reports.

Intel reportedly planned to outsource production of its Meteor Lake tGPU chipset to TSMC, with mass production scheduled for the second half of 2022, before being delayed to the first half of 2023 due to design and verification issues. Now, Intel is said to have delayed mass production to the end of 2023, virtually cancelling the 3nm chip production capacity that it had booked with TSMC for most of next year.​

Perhaps Apple will take advantage and ramp up production of even more AS processors that are needed to support more newer Mac choices in the future. There is plenty room to sell a lot of requested macs that never seen performance improvements since M1 or been taken out of the store such as large iMacs.

 

[williedigital]

The only answer for Apple is to start producing their own chips here in the USA. Refer to this post in fifteen years.

Yes. Apple will become America's Huawei.

 

[0924487]

Intel is like an ex-spouse - causes you grief even years after you've broken up.

Suddenly realized that she’s claiming half of your pension 20 years after the divorce.

 

[0924487]

Yes. Apple will become America's Huawei.

Is that supposed to be complement or…

 

[amartinez1660]

Genius move by Intel, their (failed) business model is to delay forever and as much as possible. And if the others don’t, they find a way for others to be forcefully delayed too.

 

[0924487]

If intel keeps this up, their outsourced chip manufacturers won’t do business with them in the future. I suspect they’ll get 1 or 2 more mistakes like this

People who defend Intel always say Intel is a great chip designer, they just haven’t caught up on fabrication. Now, it’s clear that they suck on everything.

 

[0924487]

So did Intel do this on purpose to mess with Apple?

It is so shortsighted that we allow something so critical to our nation to be manufactured over seas. Should be made in the USA.

And have them unionized so they can go on strike?

And have environmentalists shut them down because of “think about nature” and “feelings”?

 

[BootsWalking]

Yet folks still find ways to justify the idea that Apple should have stayed with Intel, despite Intel's repeated, obvious failures.

Why would anyone say Apple should've stayed with Intel, outside of maybe compatibility with x86 for Boot Camp and VMs?