Apple Supplier TSMC Begins Production on Processors Destined for 2018 iPhones - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Supplier TSMC Begins Production on Processors Destined for 2018 iPhones

by

Apple supplier TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) has started production on the next-generation 7-nanometer A12 chips that will be used in the 2018 iPhone lineup, reports Bloomberg.

TSMC in late April announced that its 7-nanometer process node has entered into high volume manufacturing, but did not specify that it was working on the Apple A12 processors set to be built into the iPhones that are expected in September.

tsmc logo new
The new 7-nanometer chips will offer approximately 40 percent power and area benefit over the 10-nanometer process used for the A11 processors in the 2017 iPhones. As Bloomberg says, the chips will be smaller, faster, and more efficient.

TSMC is believed to be the sole partner Apple is working with on the A12 chip. TSMC was also Apple's only supplier for the A11 chips in the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus.

All three of Apple's 2018 iPhones are expected to adopt the A12 chips that are currently in development. Rumors suggest Apple is working on a second-generation 5.8-inch OLED iPhone that's a successor to the iPhone X, a larger 6.5-inch OLED iPhone that can be thought of as an "iPhone X Plus," and a lower-cost 6.1-inch LCD iPhone.

Along with A12 chips, all three are expected to include a TrueDepth camera system for Face ID capabilities and an edge-to-edge design with minimal bezels and no Home button.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple back to school sans airpods 2

Apple's 2026 Back to School Offer is Coming Soon

Sunday July 12, 2026 7:29 am PDT by
Apple's stores will be rolling out Back to School marketing materials this week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This suggests that the offer will begin in the U.S. in the next few days. Last year, college students and educational staff could receive a free accessory like AirPods 4 or an Apple Pencil Pro with the purchase of a qualifying Mac or iPad model. The Back to School offer is in...
Read Full Article • 14 comments
Waze logo

5 New Waze Features Rolling Out Now: Here Are All the Details

Monday July 13, 2026 3:42 am PDT by
Google today announced that Waze is getting a handful of new features, including some Gemini-powered personalization enhancements for Conversational Reporting. Conversational Reporting already uses Gemini when users report traffic incidents like slowdowns, but now you can use it to suggest map updates like road closures or outdated addresses. Saying something like "The road is closed here"...
Read Full Article • 48 comments
apple silicon 1 feature

Apple Silicon is Taking an Unexpected Turn

Friday July 10, 2026 7:24 am PDT by
Ever since the Mac switched from Intel processors to Apple silicon starting in 2020, each generation of M-series chips has included higher-end Pro and Max variants. If a recent report proves to be accurate, though, that streak will be coming to an end. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will be releasing a regular M6 chip, but it has no plans to offer higher-end M6 Pro and M6 Max...
Read Full Article

Top Rated Comments

B
BootsWalking
106 months ago
Apple is so far ahead of the industry with their mobile CPUs that it's not even close. They have a 24 month lead.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alleggerita Avatar
alleggerita
106 months ago
Will it be faster than A11?
No. I think we will be seeing a regression in processing speed. /s
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Winter Charm Avatar
Winter Charm
106 months ago
What's really cool is TMSC and GF 7nm surpasses Intel 14nm++ and Is actually slightly better than Intel's 10nm node which has been delayed for an additional 18 months! :eek:

SOURCE: https://www.semiwiki.com/forum/content/7191-iedm-2017-intel-versus-globalfoundries-leading-edge.html

Going forward, Apple, AMD, and Nvidia are going to have the process node advantage over Intel. This means two things:

1. Apple might start looking at AMD chips very seriously now, since Thunderbolt Support exists on Ryzen now, and AMD is pulling ahead
2. Apple might opt for a semi custom solution from AMD, since AMD does semi custom work.
3. Apple might skip AMD chips in favor of their own CPU's for mac desktops and laptops.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
Nozuka
106 months ago
Don't you mean TSMC has the lead; Apple isn't making anything; you can say they designed them but if the can't make them those designs go unused.
it's the combination of both Apple and TSMC.

but to be honest: no one really notices a difference in real world usage anymore. most chips are more than fast enough for smartphone usage these days...
but less power usage is always nice.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
SSDGUY
106 months ago
Is there a news article? I can't stop staring at that awesome tsmc logo.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Detektiv-Pinky Avatar
Detektiv-Pinky
106 months ago
<snip>

I would like to see a Mac based entirely on the ARM Apple designs. There are a few features that the iPad has that the Mac could benefit from.

1. I'd like to be able to leave the Mac on at all times, just like the iPad remains on. I never turn it off. Even if I leave it behind all day, it's still on. Once the screen goes dark it uses almost zero power. I love that. And I love how it still alerts me to new messages while always on. Bring that to the Mac.
Not sure, what you are talking about. I always put my Macs to Suspend and 'leave them on' over days and even weeks. Suspend works very well on MacOS. I only ever reboot when there is an update waiting to be installed.

6:01 up 27 days, 14:10, 7 users, load averages: 1,16 1,27 1,49

I could grock an AMD-based Mac, but loathe a move to ARM. My fear is, that Apple would be tempted to cripple MacOS beyond usable by simultaneously eliminating 3rd party app support and going App Store only.
If MacOS loses x86-support and can not run things like Homebrew, Virtualbox etc. a lot of people would be forced to leave the system, at least in the education market, the technical and science domain.
Myself included...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments