Apple is expected to launch three new iPhones in 2017 and they are all to be powered by the company’s next generation SoC, the A11 chip. Even though these new iPhones are not expected till later this year, the various components that go into manufacturing these devices are already being produced by Apple’s partner OEMs.
A fresh report from Economic Daily News says that Taiwanese semiconductor major TSMC will start mass production of Apple’s A11 processor in April. TSMC holds exclusive rights to manufacture Apple’s A10 chipsets and is expected to continue that relationship with the company for the A11 processor as well.
Apple’s A11 chipset will be an upgrade to its current A10 Fusion chip which currently powers the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The A11 SoC is expected to power the 2017 line-up of iPhones, including iPhone 8, the tenth anniversary edition of the device. While the design of the A11 remains a mystery, the report claims that it is based on the 10 nm FinFET manufacturing process, different from the current 16 nm process used for the A10 chip. Further, the report also says that the A11 chipset will feature “wafer-level integrated fan-out” packaging technology, but it is unclear what this tech will do.
As per sources from TSMC’s supply chain, the company is expected to prepare a capacity for production of 50 million A11 chipsets before July and roll out 100 million A11 SoCs by the end of 2017.