Apple plans to build its self-designed 5G Modems through its long-time chip manufacturing partner TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). This was first reported by Nikkei Asia.
Currently, all the 5G phones sold by Apple feature cellular chips manufactured by Qualcomm. The company last week confirmed that it will only provide 20% of the iPhone modems to Apple in 2023.
Nikkei Asia also mentions that Apple plans to adopt TSMC’s 4-nanometer chip technology for mass production:
“Apple plans to adopt TSMC’s 4-nanometer chip production technology to mass-produce its first in-house 5G modem chip, four people familiar with the matter said, adding that the iPhone maker is developing its own radio frequency and millimeter wave components to complement the modem. Apple is also working on its own power management chip specifically for the modem, two people briefed on the matter said.”
TSMC is an important supplier for Apple for designing its own Apple Silicon-based processors for Macs. A lot of these Taiwanese titan’s engineers are posted in Cupertino to help Apple in designing its chips. Apple is said to use 3-nm based processors for its 2023 lineup of iPhones.
This move will help the Cupertino-based company to save fees paid to Qualcomm. This would be a major plus for the company as it enables Apple to have better control over the hardware used in producing the modem chips.
Earlier there were reports of Apple using its own modem in its 2023 iPhones for better call quality and data transmission speeds.
