There are no viable alternatives to TSMC for Apple Silicon. Intel, Samsung etc are behind TSMC in fabrication of SOC
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Major Earthquake in Taiwan Halts Some Apple Chip Production Lines
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Actually, they are viable... just not optimal. Apples systems, as a whole, would still run pretty well on older nodes... Optimisation of software, other hardware and battery tech would be more than enough for compensating for inefficiency of an older node. For the most part.
Which would in-turn change the die size and require significant reengineering. Not something that can be done in a few months due to delays. Also Apple wants the best, not just okay to do the job.
Even Intel is looking to TSMC for fabrication. Because they are better.
Condolence for families. It looks that war over Taiwan is heating up.
True... but Apple dont always want the best. They want good enough for prosumer, and done.
Keep dreaming...And that's why you should put these facilities all over the world and not concentrate so much on a few areas. Apple will figure that out eventually. Probably once something that really hurts them happen, like iPhones not being able to be made.
yes, some people care about some meaningless delay that could never happen, not even for a month...
Yes. Hundreds die on most days in Ukraine. Nobody would care what some tech forum users have to comment about that.
No, this would make it sound like putting chip production and dead/injured people on the same level.
That’s a bit oversimplified. Apple does not own TSMC. They did not choose to put TSMC in Taiwan — the TSMC founders made that decision for a host of good reasons. Apple went to TSMC because they’re the best for what Apple needs even when single-sourcing is factored in. No nation or business is immune from force majeur and unfortunately the people of Taiwan have been impacted by this one. Blaming Apple for the locations of independent supply chain partners is unfounded.And that's why you should put these facilities all over the world and not concentrate so much on a few areas. Apple will figure that out eventually. Probably once something that really hurts them happen, like iPhones not being able to be made.
I suspect TMSC employees are well paid
thank you. it’s as if people can’t be concerned about Apple products on an Apple website AND care about those hurt / who died.
Last edited by a moderator:
Last I checked the Bay area also has major earthquakes. Pretty much anywhere you go on Earth has issues.
The salaries of TSMC employees are much higher than most of jobs here, and this earthquake won't really impact TSMC a lot.
1. I agree with all of you per-se.
However, since the 90s, and certainly the early 2000s, there has been a growing concern, regarding the US in particular and the world in general, over the reliance on China and SE Asia.
For a company as large as Apple and, more importantly, as important to the world, both for technology and the global economy, Apple could have been talking to and investing in other geographical areas for decades. When PowerPC became an issue, it wasn't for Apple - they had OS X working on Intel since the NeXt days. When Intel became problematic, Apple moved to AS which was being developed for over a decade at the time.
I'm not saying this is easy, and certainly not something that can be done overnight. My criticism is that it seems (from information available) that Apple doesn't want to spend the money to diversify its manufacturing.
AND that is my point. Apple could've, years ago, began making small, incremental, investments in other geographical areas but choose not to. YES, TSMC is a great manufacturer, who's not even based in China, however, good business dictates that you must mitigate risk - risk of economic issues, risk of political disruption and yes, risk of an earthquake destroying your chip production.
Obviously, at this point, it's a little late for the latter, but that wasn't my point.
Lastly, I fully accept that I know little of the problems facing Apple. While I do work in a the tech field, and utilize dozens of Apple products regularly, as many of you put it so succinctly: what do I know?
True. However, though I may be foolish to think I know anything about Apple-level decisions, I can certainly criticize them for a perceived basic-business failure or oversight.
True.
But it is unlikely that many areas would all have severe earthquakes, at the same time. Furthermore, different regions have different building codes to mitigate the effects. For instance in Taipei, the effects are much less, possibly due to better building infrastructure.
My post advocated for manufacturing diversity, meaning across various regions.
Who else could manufacture chipsets? Lots of companies would jump at the chance, though, admittedly, TSMC appears to be great.
Imagine if Apple knew this was coming five years ago. Imagine if G-d came to Tim in a dream. I guarantee you, they would find an alternative. My point was that they choose not to invest in manufacturing diversity.
People are writing off Intel's 3rd Party Fab business, but this shows why companies like Apple, Nvidia, etc. are likely to use it as a second source, if not the first, and not leave themselves at the tender mercies of TSMC, natural events, and the possibility of a Chinese invasion or blockade.
There are many feelings and thoughts I have when a major earthquake hits, and all of them are focused on hoping the victims are ok and as few of them were hurt (or killed) as possible.
My mind never -- never -- drifts to "how will this impact Apple chip production!?"
It's almost dystopian to have thoughts head in that direction
My mind never -- never -- drifts to "how will this impact Apple chip production!?"
It's almost dystopian to have thoughts head in that direction