TSMC has started production of another Apple chip in the United States, and this time around, it is for the company’s wearables. The Cupertino giant is expanding its presence in the region, gradually adding more chips to its current production line with TSMC as its main supplier. According to the information, the company has begun producing the Apple Watch’s S9 chip, which will be manufactured in TSMC’s Arizona facility.
TSMC will manufacture 4nm S9 chips for the Apple Watch at its Arizona plant, built on the same features as the A16 Bionic chip
The information was obtained from technology columnist Tim Culpan, who stated that TSMC is manufacturing the Apple Watch’s S9 System-in-Package (SiP) chip near Pheonix, Arizona, at its Fab 1 plant. Note that this is not the first Apple chip to see production in the plant, as TSMC already produces the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Apple began its chip production in the United States in September of last year, and while it is an older chip, the company still uses it in its products. The chip could potentially power additional Apple products that are launched in the future.
Apple’s S9 chip was made available with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 9 in 2023, and it is derived from the features of the A16 Bionic chip. The A16 Bionic chip and the Apple Watch’s S9 chip are based on TSMC’s 4nm process that delivers enhanced computational and graphical output compared to its previous versions. The N4 chips will allow the supplier to expand production at its Arizona plant, and while Apple is not producing the Series 9 model at this stage, the chip is part of the company’s Ultra lineup.
TSMC is gradually expanding its production operations, and the company does not have Apple as its sole client, as AMD has also been involved in the operations. We have also reported that the supplier has begun production of AMD’s Ryzen 9000 “Granite Ridge” CPUs, and it will continue to expand. The Arizona plant is TSMC’s very first production facility out of Taiwan, but the production capacity is still in its early stages.
As per prior reports, the facility has a monthly output of approximately 10,000 wafers per month, shared between Apple, AMD, and other clients. The second phase of the facility is expected to increase the capacity to more than double, reaching as high as 24,000 wafers per month. We will keep you posted on more details related to the matter, so be sure to stick around.
