Time and again it has been reported that Apple hasn't quite been able to end its reliance on Samsung's semiconductor division even though it wants to move its business elsewhere. Other vendors have fallen short and it looks like none have displayed the capacity and reliability that Samsung's chipmaking arm offers. Apple had apparently wanted to rely more on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for the chips that are meant for its next iPhone but it has once again turned to Samsung for production of the next-gen A9 chip, which will also be used for other iOS devices.
There's another reason why Apple has returned to Samsung. The company has perfected its 14nm manufacturing process while TSMC hasn't come down from 20nm. Samsung's process allows it to pack more processing power into a relatively smaller package that's also more power efficient.
Apple tried its hand with TSMC last year when it split orders for iPhone 6's processor between TSMC and Samsung. Re/code reports that the “balance of power” has once again shifted in Samsung's favor, primarily because of its superior fabrication technology.
Today's report comes on the heels of predictions by analysts that Samsung's chipmaking arm is going to show “stellar performance” in the coming quarters as it starts raking in orders from the likes of Apple, NVIDIA and even Qualcomm.
