[News] Apple Reportedly Nears Final Check on TSMC’s U.S.-made Chips, with 4nm Mass Production Imminent

A couple of days ago, U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo stated that TSMC has started the production of advanced 4nm chips in Arizona, as per Reuters. Now the information seems to get confirmed, as a latest Nikkei report notes that Apple is nearing the final stages of verifying its first “made in America” advanced processor chips from TSMC’s Arizona plant.

Apple’s A16 Bionic iPhone processor is believed to be the first batch of chips manufactured with TSMC’s 4nm node at Arizona. According to sources cited by Nikkei, the chips could be ready as early as this quarter.

This would mark a critical milestone for TSMC, as it is said to have completed its quality tests to confirm the chips are mass production-ready, as reported by Nikkei. In the meantime, Apple is reportedly conducting thorough tests to ensure the chips produced in the U.S. match those from TSMC’s advanced facility in Tainan, southern Taiwan.

Notably, Apple would not be the only customer that goes after TSMC’s 4nm capacity on American soil. The Nikkei report indicates that U.S. chip giants NVIDIA and AMD are also conducting wafer test production at TSMC’s Arizona facility.

However, even chips made in the U.S. will still be sent to Taiwan for advanced packaging until TSMC’s partner, Amkor, finishes building its packaging plant in the U.S., the report adds.

As per TrendForce, with an initial capacity of 20K wafers per month by year-end, the facility’s early production will primarily serve U.S.-based customers, including AMD and Apple. Additionally, there are rumors that a portion of AWS’s ASIC chips will also be produced at the AZ fab.

Though the Arizona fabs currently feature 4nm, TSMC has pledged to bring more cutting-edge nodes to the U.S. market. According to Tom’s Hardware, TSMC’s second fab at the Arizona site, set to launch in 2028, will feature 3nm-class process technologies. By the end of the decade, TSMC plans to develop the third fab, which will manufacture chips using 2nm-class and 1.6nm-class nodes.

In the third quarter of 2024, American clients represent the largest share of TSMC’s revenue, as they contributed 71% of the foundry giant’s total sales, according to the company’s quarterly management report.

Read more

• [News] NVIDIA Reportedly in Talks with TSMC to Produce Blackwell in Arizona, While Packaging Handled in Taiwan
• [News] TSMC’s First Plant in Arizona Achieves Early Chip Production Yields Higher than Taiwan

(Photo credit: TSMC)