Apple Continuing Work on M2 Chip With Help From Samsung

Apple is continuing its work on the upcoming "M2" chip with help from Samsung Electro-Mechanics, ET News reports.

m2 feature
Samsung Electro-Mechanics supplies the flip chip ball grid array (FC-BGA), a printed circuit board used to connect the semiconductor chip to the main substrate, for the M1 chip. This detail did not emerge until almost a year after the ‌M1‌ chip was introduced, when it was uncovered by The Elec.

While the ‌M1‌, like all of Apple's custom silicon SoCs, is fabricated exclusively by Taiwan's TSMC, the chip includes components from several suppliers. For example, the chip's board is supplied by Ibiden and Unimicron, so it is necessary for Apple to coordinate multiple suppliers for its next-generation SoC for the Mac.

According to today's report from ET News, Samsung is expected to continue to provide the FC-BGA for the ‌M2‌. The company is said to be collaborating with Apple in a project to develop the ‌M2‌ chip and will complete work on the FC-BGA for it this year.

Apple purportedly began developing the ‌M2‌ immediately after introducing the ‌M1‌ chip. The report reiterated Mark Gurman's claim that Apple is testing at least nine new Macs with four different ‌M2‌ chip variants, and that the first devices with the ‌M2‌ could debut in the first half of 2022. The chip could first be introduced in Apple's redesigned MacBook Air.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4: Here Are 5 New Features to Expect on Your iPhone

Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon. iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Apple's Rumored MacBook Pro Redesign: 6 New Features Anticipated

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:26 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small ...
iOS 26 Glass Feature

iOS 26: The Top 100 New Features and Changes

Tuesday September 16, 2025 12:26 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 on September 15, and it's now available for all iPhone users with a compatible device. There are a lot of changes and features to learn about, so if you want a quick, easy-to-read list that outlines what's new, we've got you covered. Design Liquid Glass design that reflects light and refracts what's underneath. It's system wide, with dynamic tab bars and toolbars...
ios 26 liquid glass dark mode

iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design Makes App Icons Look Crooked, Report Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:55 am PDT by
iOS 26's new Liquid Glass interface has been criticized for making some content illegible in certain circumstances, and now the UI design is reportedly causing another unusual visual problem for some users. Liquid Glass adds subtle glowing effects to the corners of app icons, creating a dynamic glass-like appearance with depth and parallax effects. However, as noted by Gizmodo, this design...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...

Top Rated Comments

EugW Avatar
45 months ago

Apple purportedly began developing the M2 immediately after introducing the M1 chip.
I'm sure Apple began developing M2 long before the M1 was publicly introduced.


Samsung for years has been talking about creating their own chips for a variety of devices, but somehow always seems to be just a fabricator for other companies. I wonder what keeps holding them back.
??

Samsung has been producing their own chips for many, many years. In fact, the first iPhones used Samsung CPUs.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IIGS User Avatar
45 months ago
Samsung is a giant company, and their work for Apple generates a lot of revenue for them.

Apple gets a reliable producer, while Samsung gets a good customer. Both do well on the transaction.

Sometimes people see the differences or "rivalries" between companies in the same light as sports teams or politicians.

This simply isn't the case with corporations. What works, works, and what doesn't doesn't. Apple, Samsung, and TSMC work well together to get things "done". As someone stated upthread, Samsung has been a major supplier for Apple for a long time now.

I'm sure Logistics Tim recognizes the "if it aint broke don't fix it" aspect of the relationship, and continues to do business with Samsung because it's good business, and business is good.....
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dugbug Avatar
45 months ago
This is a weird title. They are providing the BGA, something they do for lots of manufacturers. This has nothing to do with the M2 other than hey, the M2 is a 'chip'.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hagjohn Avatar
45 months ago
I do not believe for a minute that they started working on M2 right after M1 was released. Something as complicated as Mx SOC would take years to plan and they would have a working roadmap where they are developing multiple SOCs years ahead of time.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
45 months ago
Apple is probably Samsung’s biggest client. It looks like the transition to the Apple Silicon Chip is going smooth.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
krspkbl Avatar
45 months ago
this is why fanboyism is stupid. these huge companies don't give a **** about you defending them on the internet. apple + samsung get on fine with each other.

i'm looking forward to M2. not that i can ****ing afford any of Apple's Macs. at best i'll pick up an iPad with one in it to replace my M1 iPad
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)