TSMC has begun production of two processors for AMD and Apple at its Arizona plant, according to a report by Tim Culpan, a technology journalist based in Taiwan. The chips are being developed at TSMC’s Fab 21 facility, on its 4nm N4 and N4P process technologies — the chipmaker’s Phase 1 is expected to begin operations in the coming months. TSMC is also working on hiring employees at Fab 21, for roles related to fab operations and the installation of equipment.
TSMC Arizona Picks Up Production of Apple’s S9 SiP Alongside A16 Bionic
Citing industry sources, Culpan reports that TSMC Arizona has begun producing Apple’s S9 System-in-Package (SiP) which is used on the company’s previous generation Apple Watch Series 9 (which was discontinued last year) and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The processor is being produced using TSMC’s N4 (4nm) technology.
This is the second Apple-made chip to be produced by TSMC at Fab 21 — the company has been producing the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15 since last year. Thee journalist states that the A16 Bionic and Apple’s S9 SiP share some similarities, which meant that TSMC only had to adapt the technology used to fabricate the former in order to begin producing the smartwatch processor.
According to Culpan, the second chip that is being produced by TSMC is an AMD Ryzen 9000-series processor. These Zen5 desktop CPUs were unveiled by AMD in June 2024, and are codenamed Granite Ridge. The journalist mentions a Ryzen 9000 CPU with the codenamed “Grand Rapids” instead, so it’s unclear whether this is an unreleased chipset.
TSMC is also working on completing Phase 1B of its plan to ramp up production at the US chip plant, Culpan writes. The firm aims to eventually produce up to 24,000 wafers per month, by the end of Q1 2025. Under Phase 1A, TSMC is currently producing 10,000 wafers per month, and it is expected to hire more employees — some more Taiwanese workers are expected to join the company — as the company works to ramp up production at the facility.
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