Where are iPhone chips made and who makes them?

It might be interesting for you to know in which country iPhone chips are made and who is responsible for their production.

iPhone chips are mainly designed by Apple, but their manufacturing process involves cooperation with several countries and large companies. New chips like the A18 and A18 Pro are designed in Cupertino, California, but the actual manufacturing process of these chips takes place in countries as diverse as Taiwan, England, and even the United States. In this article, we have examined the details of the design and production of iPhone chips and how Apple cooperates with different companies and centers.

All about iPhone chips

iPhone chips are generally based on ARM architecture. This design dates back to the 1980s and is specifically related to the design of ARM cores by Steve Ferrer and Sophie Wilson. ARM cores form the basis of Apple chips. For example, the A18 Pro chip used in the iPhone 16 Pro contains six ARM cores.

Apple A18 Pro chipset

ARM does not make its own chips, but sells core designs to various manufacturers. Manufacturers can purchase complete chip designs or obtain specific licenses to develop and optimize these cores. Apple, along with other major manufacturers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek, licenses ARM’s flexible architecture.

The history of Apple and ARM cooperation

In 1992, Apple first used ARM chips in the Apple Newton device, and by 1993 it had acquired a 43% stake in ARM. However, in the late 1990s, Apple was forced to sell these shares due to financial problems. Despite this, Apple still works closely with ARM, and this collaboration continues to produce iPhone chips.

In recent years, Apple has increasingly managed the production of its processors in-house and is no longer using Qualcomm-made chips. The design of Apple’s chips is overseen by Johnny Suri, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies. Suri is a senior Apple employee who was responsible for establishing the company’s research and development center in Herzliya, Israel. This research center plays a very important role in the development of iPhone chipsets. Also, Apple has another silicon design center in Munich, Germany.

The modem chip is one of the most important components of any smartphone. This chip must be integrated with the phone’s processor with high precision so that the radio signals are sent correctly and calls and SMS are sent via radio waves. Currently, Apple buys modems from Qualcomm, but the company is planning to move modem production in-house. In this regard, Apple has signed a new agreement with Broadcom, a major manufacturer of electronic components, to produce modems in-house.

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Production of Apple chips in Taiwan

Currently, most of Apple’s chips are manufactured by TSMC, the largest semiconductor manufacturer in Taiwan. Before the production of A8 chips in the iPhone, Apple used Samsung for the main production of chips. Since then, all iPhone chips have been made by TSMC, although Samsung still makes some of the A9 chips.

The new A18 and A18 Pro chips used in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are manufactured by TSMC using advanced 3nm technology. This is possible for TSMC thanks to a partnership with ASML, a Dutch company that produces advanced photolithography machinery and helps TSMC make chips with nanometer technology.

It is said that some of Apple’s chips are also manufactured in the state of Arizona. According to an agreement signed by the US government with TSMC, the A16 chips used in the iPhone 14, 15 and 15 Plus will be manufactured in the state, independent reporter Tim Kalben reported. The project is part of the CHIPS 2022 Act, which aims to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the United States.

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