What is Apple doing at 14nm?

Analysis: 20nm long decided, 14nm choices will shape everyone’s options

Mar 25, 2013 by

Apple Inc.There has been a lot of speculation about Apple and fabs lately, so let’s go over what SemiAccurate is hearing. We told you about 20nm long before anyone else, so let’s focus on 14nm.

We told you that Apple was going to TSMC at 20nm last year, then went over a lot of the implications, specifically for Nvidia. The ripple effects also hit Samsung hard, both in technical and non-technical areas. The big players are all lined up for 20nm, and though some lesser players may yet play musical chairs, the largest consumers of wafers invariably set the agenda.

Apple moving from Samsung to TSMC is the lynchpin that most of the others make decisions around mainly because it changes the available options so radically. With 20nm decided, that brings up the question of what the company is doing at 14nm? What they say and do at this node will if not dictate what the others do, heavily influence what they can do. The one thing we can say for sure is that all the people claiming that Apple is doing this or that are wrong.

Note: The following is analysis for professional level subscribers only.

Disclosures: Charlie Demerjian and Stone Arch Networking Services, Inc. have no consulting relationships, investment relationships, or hold any investment positions with any of the companies mentioned in this report.

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Charlie Demerjian

Roving engine of chaos and snide remarks at SemiAccurate
Charlie Demerjian is the founder of Stone Arch Networking Services and SemiAccurate.com. SemiAccurate.com is a technology news site; addressing hardware design, software selection, customization, securing and maintenance, with over one million views per month. He is a technologist and analyst specializing in semiconductors, system and network architecture. As head writer of SemiAccurate.com, he regularly advises writers, analysts, and industry executives on technical matters and long lead industry trends. Charlie is also available through Guidepoint and Mosaic. FullyAccurate