According to rumors, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, better known as TSMC, will be the one to manufacture all the A10 processors that will arrive with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The main reason would be that the Taiwanese company would have the necessary technology to manufacture the processors in a 10nm process, while Samsung is only capable of manufacturing them in a 14nm process. But all this could change if TSMC It is not able to fix all the damage it suffered in the earthquake of February 6.
At first it was thought that the earthquake had not caused significant damage. Now, a new report ensures that TSMC will not be able to ship during the first quarter of 2016. Initially, the Taiwanese company assured that only 1% of processor shipments would be affected, but has already recognized that the damage their facilities received was much greater.
But the good news is that the damage suffered by TSMC machinery not very difficult to repair: Yes, they will not be able to work for several days, but soon they will be able to do it with total normality. Of course, the time they will be without production will cause the company not to achieve the target of 5.900-6.000 million for the first quarter of 2016.
Looking on the bright side, if it had one, the earthquake occurred at a time when it could be said that they have relatively controlled work. It is true that in just a month they have to present an iPhone and an iPad that will use the A9 and AX9 processors, but they would have had enough time to supply the initial demand. If the earthquake had occurred in August, the economic losses could have been devastating and the availability of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus could have been delayed for several weeks.