Apple currently uses TSMC’s 3-nanometer process for multiple chipsets. According to a report from wccftech, the iPhone 17 chipset will not adopt the 2-nanometer process. Instead, the A19 Pro chip, expected in 2025, is reportedly maintaining the 3-nanometer technology.

The same report suggests that the Apple A19 Pro chip is considering TSMC’s N3P process and may be featured in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. TSMC aims to ramp up its 3-nanometer wafer capacity to 100,000 units by the end of 2024.

TSMC began trial production of 2-nanometer chips as early as June 2023. However, Apple’s A18 Pro chip for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max might use the N3E process. As for next year’s iPhone 17, its A19 Pro chip is likely to adopt TSMC’s N3P technology.

As per MoneyDJ’s report, it is currently expected that Apple’s iPhone 18 series, slated for release in 2026, will feature the first-ever 2-nanometer chip. Besides Apple, other 2-nanometer customers include Intel, with interest also anticipated from AMD, NVIDIA, and MediaTek. Looking at the process roadmap, this year’s iPhone 16 will use N3E, while next year’s model will adopt N3P. Thus, the first consumer product leveraging TSMC’s 2nm process is anticipated to launch in 2026.

Meanwhile, Apple is said to be striving to stay ahead of competitors and exploring alternative packaging technologies like 3DFabric with its foundry partner. A rumor from the account Yeux1122 has suggested that Apple is already delving into SoIC (Small Outline Integrated Circuit) packaging.

In a bid to reduce dependence on China, Apple significantly expanded its production volume in India, doubling iPhone production last year. Foxconn, which holds the largest share in iPhone assembly, accounted for a substantial 67% of this increased production.

Bloomberg reported on April 10th that Apple’s iPhone production value in India reached USD 14 billion over the last fiscal year, doubling from the previous year’s USD 7 billion. Sources cited by the same report have revealed that approximately 1 in 7 iPhones, or up to 14% of total production, are now manufactured in India. This expansion in Indian production signals Apple’s accelerated efforts to reduce reliance on China amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

Per the sources cited by the same report, nearly 67% of iPhones produced in India last year were assembled by Taiwan’s Foxconn, while Pegatron accounted for about 17%. The remaining share was manufactured at a plant in Karnataka state by Wistron, which sold the facility to Tata Group in 2023.

As per a Reuters report on April 8, contract manufacturer Pegatron was said to be in talks to sell its sole iPhone assembly plant located in Chennai to Tata Group, and discussions were in advanced stages. However, regarding this matter, Pegatron claimed that this report was speculative and lacked evidence, declining to comment further.

Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu in India, stands as the largest industrial and commercial hub in South India. Pegatron’s sole factory in India is located here, employing approximately 10,000 workers and producing around 5 million iPhones annually.

Among the four iPhone 15 series models, only certain models like iPhone15 and iPhone15 plus are produced by Tata Group in India.

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(Photo credit: Foxconn)

The global laptop and PC market is experiencing a gradual recovery, driven by the growing trend of AI-powered PCs (AIPC). Consequently, as per a report from TechNews, the competition to enhance AI chip computing power has emerged as a key global focus. 

One of the competitors, Intel, during its Vision 2024 event, showcased its next-generation laptop chip, Lunar Lake. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger stated that this chip will deliver over 100 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of AI performance, with the NPU alone contributing 45 TOPS. This marks a threefold increase in AI performance compared to Intel’s current generation of chips and meets the 45 TOPS NPU performance threshold previously set by Intel for the next generation of AI PCs.

Currently, Intel’s Meteor Lake processor NPU can only deliver 10 TOPS, which falls short of the standard required for the next generation of AI PCs. However, the NPU performance of Lunar Lake precisely meets the 45 TOPS standard.

Pat Gelsinger did not provide detailed breakdowns of the remaining 55+ TOPS performance between the CPU and GPU, but it can be reasonably speculated that the GPU contributes around 50 TOPS, while the CPU cores contribute 5-10 TOPS.

As for Intel’s competitors, AMD’s current-generation Ryzen Hawk Point platform offers NPU performance of 16 TOPS, which is also below Intel’s envisioned standard for the next generation of AI PCs.

However, AMD has recently indicated that their next-generation products will make significant breakthroughs to meet the demands of AI computing, incorporating a robust architecture with powerful CPU, GPU, and NPU components. This design philosophy has been consistent for AMD from the Ryzen 7040 series to the current 8040 series.

At an AI event in December last year, AMD unveiled the next-generation Ryzen Strix Point mobile processor featuring the XDNA 2 architecture, boasting a threefold increase in AI performance compared to the previous generation.

Yet, AMD has not provided detailed performance allocations for each component. Nonetheless, a simple calculation suggests that if the NPU performance triples, then the NPU performance of Ryzen Strix Point would reach 48 TOPS.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite platform represents another competitor in the escalating competition, with chips based on ARM-based architecture scheduled to launch in mid-2024. Qualcomm has stated that its NPU performance will reach 45 TOPS, further heightening the competition among Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm for dominance in the next generation of AI computing.

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(Photo credit: Intel)

Earlier, Reuters reported that contract manufacturer Pegatron was in talks to sell its sole iPhone assembly plant in India to Tata Group, and discussions were in advanced stages. Regarding this matter, Pegatron told CNA reporters that this report was speculative and lacked evidence, declining to comment further.

According to a Reuters report on April 8, Pegatron was said to be considering selling its iPhone assembly plant located in Chennai, a major city in southern India, to Tata Group, India’s largest private enterprise. The negotiations were rumored to conclude within six months. If an agreement is reached, the two parties will establish a joint venture, with Tata Group holding a 65% stake to operate the plant, while Pegatron will retain a 35% stake and provide technical support.

Sources cited by Reuters also mentioned that Pegatron is building another iPhone assembly plant in the Chennai area, and discussions with Tata include acquiring control of this new facility. The negotiations between Tata and Pegatron are expected to conclude within six months, after which all Pegatron India plant employees will transition to the joint venture.

Amid rising geopolitical risks, tech giants are diversifying production away from China. Pegatron reduced its stake in its Kunshan plant to 37.5% in December, with Chinese Luxshare now leading. However, Pegatron emphasizes it won’t withdraw from China and plans to establish new facilities this year.

In recent years, Pegatron has been consistently expanding its global footprint, with expansions ongoing in Taiwan, Mexico, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and other locations.

Currently, approximately 10% of Apple’s iPhone production capacity in India comes from Pegatron, with the vast majority of capacity originating from Foxconn’s iPhone assembly plant located in Karnataka.

Furthermore, Foxconn has the highest share in Apple’s current new iPhone assembly. Among the four iPhone 15 series models, only certain models like iPhone15 and iPhone15 plus are produced by Tata Group in India.

In January, Pegatron announced a USD 12 million investment to form a Malaysian subsidiary for consumer electronics. It’s also expanding its Mexican plant capacity, investing USD 75 million to boost its electric vehicle business.

(Photo credit: Apple)

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Currently, the global foldable phone market is dominated by non-Apple players, with Samsung and Huawei acting as the key players, continuously expanding their related product lines. Although Apple has yet to debut any foldable hardware, rumors cited by a report from Economic Daily News suggest they are actively working to catch up by accelerating product development.

Sources cited by the same report suggest that Apple is highly likely to launch its first foldable hardware product either this year or next year, potentially signaling a shift to a three-way competition in the foldable phone market.

Currently, Samsung and Huawei collectively hold over 80% of the global foldable phone market share, making them highly influential in the market. Industry sources cited by the report believe that with Apple entering the foldable phone market, a reshuffle is inevitable, offering consumers not only more product choices but also potentially lower prices compared to the current landscape.

It is reported that in the past, most foldable phones were priced starting at USD 1,000, with some flagship models even priced at USD 1,500. With Samsung and Huawei potentially introducing more affordable foldable phones this year, it is expected that foldable phones priced below USD 1,000 will become increasingly common in the future.

Industry sources cited by the same report point out that the battleground for mobile phone brands will still be in flagship models, as the specifications and features of flagship phones determine the technological prowess of the brand. Therefore, whether it’s Samsung, Huawei, or even Apple, they will all compete vigorously in this market.

The market for budget-friendly phones is currently not well-defined and is primarily in the early stages of development, focused on testing the waters. It is estimated that it will take another two to three years for this market segment to become more stable.

Same sources cited by the report suggest that with Samsung and Huawei continuously investing in the foldable phone market, Apple is pressured to launch a foldable phone to keep up and not fall behind. However, the biggest challenge lies in how Apple can launch a foldable phone later but still seize the initiative, potentially attracting loyal Apple fans without affecting the sales of existing iPhone models.

According to the analysis released by TrendForce in the second half of last year, Apple’s development in the folding field still requires time. Apple’s foray into foldables has been tepid, to say the least.

Yet, Apple’s unwavering obsession with user experience could be the culprit. Furthermore, persistent challenges with foldable tech—think panel evenness and hinge design—might be holding them back.

But here’s the kicker: Achieving perfection with larger foldable panels is somewhat simpler than their smaller counterparts. Could this mean Apple might leapfrog right into medium-sized foldable products—like laptops or tablets? Only time will tell.

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(Photo credit: Apple)