Apple will begin mass production of its first U.S. made A-series iPhone chips soon at TSMC’s Arizona plant, according to a January 14, 2025, Nikkei Asia report.
This production will start in Q1 2025 at a facility near Phoenix, marking a major step in Apple’s chip manufacturing strategy. These chips will be mainly used in older iPhone models.
Test production of the chips is already complete, and Apple is in the last stages of determining their quality and performance.
The first batch of commercially viable chips will enter mass production by the end of this quarter, pending the finalization of quality assurance procedures.
Apple announced its plan for ‘Made in America’ chips in 2022, a success of the US CHIPS Act. The plan is a government initiative meant to reduce reliance on China for advanced chip supplies.
TSMC’s plant in Arizona will make the A-series chips, with the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be among the first to be manufactured. Also, the S9 chip for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be manufactured in the first batch.
This mass production marks the first time Apple’s A-series chips will be manufactured in the United States, highlighting the firm’s increasing reliance on domestic production.
Nonetheless, Chips made in the U.S. will still require advanced packaging, which will be done in Taiwan until Amkor’s U.S. plant is completed.
This facility will initially have a capacity of 20K wafers each month, with early production focused on U.S. customers like Apple.
As Apple relocates chip production to the United States, it remains focused on efficiency, innovation and enhanced supply chain security.
The move will boost responsiveness to global demand while guaranteeing increased control over quality and production timelines for its main components.
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