TSMC Reportedly 'On Track' to Begin Volume Production of A14 Chips for iPhones Despite Pandemic - MacRumors
Skip to Content

TSMC Reportedly 'On Track' to Begin Volume Production of A14 Chips for iPhones Despite Pandemic

TSMC is "on track" to begin volume production of 5nm chips in April, despite "recent speculation" indicating that the foundry had been requested by Apple to defer production of A14 processors by one or two quarters, according to DigiTimes.

a14 bionic clean
A paywalled preview of the report claims that TSMC's manufacturing lines remain fully booked for 5nm chips amid the current pandemic.

TSMC has been Apple's exclusive supplier of A-series chips since 2016, and its chips have gradually become smaller as it continues to refine its manufacturing process, benefitting performance, battery life, and thermal management on iPhones.

Apple plans to introduce four high-end iPhone 12 models with 5G support in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Due to the ongoing pandemic, however, there have been conflicting reports on exactly when Apple will unveil its latest iPhones.

Tag: TSMC
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple's Next Era Begins September 1

Thursday May 7, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company. Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Instagram Feature 2

PSA: Instagram Encrypted Messaging Ends on Friday, May 8

Tuesday May 5, 2026 8:24 am PDT by
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform. Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...

Top Rated Comments

motm95 Avatar
80 months ago
5nm is incredible, and I'm sure the A14 chip will be an improvement, but the transition back to a Qualcomm modem chip may be even more important.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
80 months ago
but the iPhone 12 is going to be late. No wait- it's going to be on time. No wait- it's going to be late. No wait...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HappyIntro Avatar
80 months ago

Why is it so hard just to skip this year iPhones we’re in a pandemic
Because millions of people are going to want to buy them. Shutting down production also causes more people to lose their jobs, so those workers stop spending, which causes more people to lose their jobs, etc., etc.

The best way to make the economic mess caused by the pandemic much worse is for people to slam their wallets shut in some knee-jerk manner.

Those that have the money and want the product, by all means purchase...I know I'm going to buy my son a new phone for his graduation present.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
80 months ago
In 2020, I’m in for an A14 iPhone and an A14X iPad Pro, both with Qualcomm 5G.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
80 months ago

I am pretty sure most will defer their purchases this year. People will only buy if their phones break. We still don’t know when this whole Covid-19 pandemic will be over. Apple is really underestimating the gravity of the situation.
I don't think Apple is underestimating the situation. Each iPhone takes time for development and production, even if they cancel the project today a lot of work has already been done.
Sales will be really low this year compared to 2019, I think Apple is quite aware of that. But even selling in lower volumes is better than skipping a new iPhone and don't sell anything at all. Maybe they'll postpone some features to 2021 to boost upgrades, but they made an agreement with Qualcomm for 5G to have it on the 2020 iPhone so I bet we'll see at least a 5G model this year.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SpitUK Avatar
80 months ago
I am really looking forward to a flagship 6.7" iPhone this year :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)