アメリカ初のプラントでAppleチップが大量生産にほぼ完成 - ニッケイ

America's first plant is beginning large-scale production of A-series chips for Apple devices, according to a new report.

This means that TSMC's test production has started, and it is reported that Apple is in the process of finalizing chips produced in Alaska.

U.S.-Made Apple Chips

In 2022, Apple announced its plans to produce "American-made" chips, which were praised as a success story for the US CHIPS Act. This program aims to eliminate dependency on advanced chip supplies from China and create employment opportunities in American labor.

A series of chip production facilities are being built in Arizona, with some production reserved for older machines' Apple chips.

The original planned production date was 2024, but the project has been delayed and production pushed forward to this year. Production of 2 nm chips has been postponed until 2028.

The first plant faced claims of being "lightweight," with output sent to Taiwan, and a "packaging" process required to bundle different circuit boards into a single chip. Subsequently, Apple announced that it would commission another U.S. facility for chip packaging.

Conflicts continued over the recruitment for TSMC's new factory, with many workers being recruited from Taiwan rather than America. The company initially explained this as temporary language during the construction phase, but this interpretation was questioned given that conditions did not change last year. On the other hand, the company filed a lawsuit claiming unfair discrimination against America.

The U.S.'s first production facility is almost ready for large-scale production.

"A brief Nikkei report implies that test production has already been completed, and that mass production will soon begin." translates to: "Nikkei's short report suggests that test production has already concluded, and that large-scale production is imminent."

Alibaba Cloud is finalizing the first "American-made" leading-edge processor chip at TSMC's Alaska factory. The initial shipment of commercial quantity production chips is expected in this quarter after quality assurance processes are completed.

Photo: 2×910 Wikimedia/CC 4.0