First U.S. Facility Set to Begin Mass Production of Apple Chips

The inaugural US facility dedicated to producing A-series chips for Apple products is expected to commence mass production as soon as this quarter, according to a recent report.

This suggests that TSMC has already initiated testing production, with Apple said to be in the final phase of validating the chips manufactured in Arizona …

‘Made in America’ Apple chips

Apple announced its initiative to produce ‘Made in America’ chips in 2022, a move celebrated as a significant success story of the US CHIPS Act. This government subsidy program aims to reduce the US’s reliance on China for advanced chip production and create job opportunities for American workers.

The endeavor will involve constructing several TSMC chip fabrication plants in Arizona, dedicated partially to producing chips for older Apple devices.

While mass production was initially projected to start in 2024, delays have shifted the timeline to this year. The future production of smaller 2nm chips has been postponed until 2028.

There were concerns that the first plant might become ineffective, as any output would have to be returned to Taiwan for the critical packaging process, which involves encapsulating various circuit boards into a singular chip. Apple later announced plans to establish another facility in the US for chip packaging.

TSMC has faced scrutiny over its hiring practices at the plants, with many employees being brought in from Taiwan instead of hiring domestically. The company initially described this as a temporary measure during the construction phase, but doubts arose when the situation did not change in the subsequent year. A lawsuit has accused TSMC of “anti-American discrimination.”

First US plant nearly ready for mass production

A brief report from Nikkei suggests that testing production has likely wrapped up, and mass production will soon commence.

Apple is nearing the final stage of evaluating its first “made in America” cutting-edge processor chips from TSMC’s plant in Arizona. The initial batch of commercially mass-produced chips is anticipated as early as this quarter, following the completion of quality assurance processes, according to sources familiar with the situation.

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