New in OS X: Get MacRumors Push Notifications on your Mac

Resubscribe Now Close

Samsung Manufacturing Issues Reportedly Overblown, May Split A8 Production with TSMC

Monday March 10, 2014 5:51 am PDT by Kelly Hodgkins
Samsung may play a larger role in the production of Apple's next generation A8 processor than previously rumored, claims ZDNet Korea (via GforGames). According to the report, the Korean company has already signed a contract to produce the A8 processor at its Austin, Texas plant and is in the final stages of testing before mass production begins.

tsmc_samsung_logo
This latest information from an anonymous Samsung official contradicts an earlier report that said Samsung was struggling with poor yields of the A8 processor and could not meet Apple's demands. As a result, the bulk of A8 chip production was said to be shifting to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). These "manufacturing issues" were "exaggerated claims" says the Samsung source, stating that the company is ready to start mass production of the A8 in Q2 2014.

While Samsung and TSMC may be splitting A8 production however, the latter already appears to have a lead on the Korean manufacturer. A recent report from Taiwan's Commercial Times claims TSMC has started production of the next generation chip.

Samsung has been the exclusive manufacturer of Apple's A-series chips, but Apple has been looking to depend less on its rival by shifting some of its orders to TSMC. Apple reportedly struck a deal with TSMC in 2013 to start A-series chip production early in 2014.


[ 68 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Avatar
pgiguere1
67 months ago
Hasn't that rumor pattern about Samsung stopping fabbing Apple SoCs been repeated for the last 3 years already?
Rating: 10 Votes
Avatar
DipDog3
67 months ago

It seems that these days all the rumors we get are contradicting each other :)


Also known as, just making stuff up.
Obviously none of these so called reporters have any idea what is going on.
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
triton100
67 months ago
Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.
Rating: 6 Votes
Avatar
samcraig
67 months ago

Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.



Please enlighten me how you can tell what a device is going to look like and how the OS will operate from just knowing or producing a chip that goes inside it.
Rating: 6 Votes
Avatar
typeadam
67 months ago

Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.


You realize that Samsung doesn't only make phones, right? And that their phones are only a percentage of their business. Furthermore, Samsung has been accused of copying the software/UX/OS, not the hardware, AFAIK.
So I seriously doubt they would've been "toast."
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
FirstNTenderbit
67 months ago

Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.


Congrats! This is an excellent example of spontaneously combustible material. Flame on.:o
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
samcraig
67 months ago

That's usually true, but for some here it's of utmost importance that Apple doesn't use Samsung for anything at all, even thought they produce some of the best components in the industry.


There are those that hate Samsung with all the passion in the world. Except that won't ever stop them from saying they will never buy ANYTHING made by Samsung. You know. Unless it just happens to be INSIDE an Apple device. But Samsung MUST die. :eek:
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
uknowimright
67 months ago
hey I know those Lil Debbie brownies are made with flour, I'm totally going to be able to reproduce them now
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
Technarchy
67 months ago
From a consumer perspective it really doesn't matter as long as it works
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
giantfan1224
67 months ago

There are those that hate Samsung with all the passion in the world. Except that won't ever stop them from saying they will never buy ANYTHING made by Samsung. You know. Unless it just happens to be INSIDE an Apple device. But Samsung MUST die. :eek:


Here we go again with this inane argument. It is possible to loathe Samsung, swear to never own a Samsung branded product and still have an iPhone while being true to your convictions.
Rating: 2 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]