Right here’s an fascinating tidbit from right now’s flurry of bulletins tied to Apple’s new $100 billion American Manufacturing Program: the corporate is getting into a brand new chip manufacturing partnership with Samsung. Listed here are the main points.
New tech for brand new chips
Based on Apple, they’re working with Samsung’s Austin, Texas facility, to deliver to the U.S. “an modern new expertise for making chips, which has by no means been used earlier than wherever on this planet”.
Within the press launchApple doesn’t specify what this new expertise is, however says that the Austin facility “will provide chips that optimize energy and efficiency of Apple merchandise, together with iPhone gadgets shipped all around the world.”
Right here’s Apple’s full assertion:
Apple can be working with Samsung at its fab in Austin, Texas, to launch an modern new expertise for making chips, which has by no means been used earlier than wherever on this planet. By bringing this expertise to the U.S. first, this facility will provide chips that optimize energy and efficiency of Apple merchandise, together with iPhone gadgets shipped all around the world.
Whereas that’s not a lot to go on, there may be hypothesis suggesting that Samsung (reasonably than Sony) will provide Apple with next-generation ISOCELL digicam sensors, constructed on the identical Austin facility.
And whereas digicam sensors aren’t usually described as elements that “optimize energy and efficiency,” that is in the end a fastidiously worded press launch made to appease and make the present U.S. administration look good, so a little bit of artistic framing could possibly be on the desk.
Be it as it could (and, once more, with out realizing the specifics), it’s fascinating to see Apple flip to Samsung, reasonably than TSMC, its main chip associate, and even Intel, which has been lobbying exhausting for foundry enterprise and authorities incentives, to pilot what it calls a “by no means been used earlier than wherever on this planet” chipmaking expertise on U.S. soil.
TSMC, for its half, has additionally lately introduced plans to develop its whole funding within the U.S. to $165 billion, together with “three new fabs, two superior packaging services and an R&D heart” per the corporate’s personal press launch.
What do you suppose this new chip could possibly be? Tell us within the feedback.
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