Apple is TSMC’s biggest customer … and by far

An internal document of TSMC recovered by the DigiTimes and Bloomberg sites (same source?) this time clearly proves thatApple is by far the biggest customer of the Taiwanese group. TSMC’s client listing indeed indicates that Apple’s component orders represent no less than 25.9% of TSMC’s sales ! Apple is the only TSMC customer with a double-digit revenue share. Behind the Californian, we find in fact MediaTek, with only 5.8% revenue share, other customers ALL falling below 5%.

We can better understand in these conditions the extreme caution with which Intel would try to coax TSMC to produce chips engraved in 3nm. “Angering” Apple – which wants above all to secure the production of processors for the iPhone, iPad and Mac, especially in a period of a pandemic – would take the risk of breaking off negotiations with the Asian founder. Apple’s share may even continue to grow in the future with the emergence of AR / VR technologies. Indeed, if we are to believe the rumors, the first VR headset from Apple would be equipped with a “custom” Mx chip, which will probably be produced by TSMC.