Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest contract manufacturer for mobile chipsets, is expected to grow its business by 12-16 percent.

A report considers Apple being the top customer for the company when it comes to 5nm chipset manufacturing. It further goes on to add that the Cupertino-based giant could account for 53 percent of the overall 5nm chips production at TSMC.

Qualcomm is expected to account for 24 percent of TSMC’s 5nm chip manufacturing as Apple will reportedly be using Qualcomm‘s 5nm Snapdragon 5G X60 modem in the upcoming iPhone 13 smartphones. It is being reported that TSMC and Samsung have already booked 90 percent of their 5nm chipset manufacturing capacity for the year 2021.

As for the 7nm chipset manufacturing, the report claims that AMD will be the leading customer in this, accounting for 27 percent of the total orders. It will be closely followed by NVIDIA with 21 percent of total production.

A few months ago, it was reported that Apple had booked the full capacity of TSMC for 5nm chipset production. TSMC started giving preferential treatment to Apple as almost one-fifth of the company’s total revenue comes from the Cupertino-based tech giant.

The preferential treatment to Apple is being considered as the reason for Qualcomm giving its Snapdragon 888 chipset manufacturing contract to Samsung. The previous generation chipset — Snapdragon 865, was produced by TSMC.

TSMC is now rushing to develop its 3nm process and it seems that Apple will be the first to contract the initial production capacity. With Apple now making its own chips for smartphones and Mac laptops, it remains to be seen which will be the first to start adopting the new 3nm chips.

RELATED: 

• TSMC to reportedly manufacture 3nm chips for Intel in 2022
• TSMC reportedly planning to increase automotive chips pricing by 15%
• Apple to lead in 5nm chips in 2021, while Samsung only reaches third the spot

The post Apple to account for 53% of TSMC 5nm chips production in 2021 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., known as SMIC, was recently put on Entity List or U.S. export control blacklist. Now, the company has said that the move will hamper the development of its cutting-edge technologies.

The company has released a statement after doing an initial assessment and said that “the U.S. move will badly affect the company’s Research & Development and the production capacity construction of advanced technologies of 10 nanometers and below.” It added that there’s no significant impact on the operation and finances in the short-term as the company isn’t mass-producing the chips using the 10nm technology.

SMIC getting banned by the United States is a major blow for the Chinese government which is working towards making the country self-sufficient when it comes to manufacturing semiconductors and the company is leading the campaign.

From the development, it appears that the United States is determined to thwart every effort of China or Chinese companies to procure components for advanced technologies. To provide components to the companies in the Entity List, the U.S.-based firms will have to apply for a special license.

EDITOR’S PICK: OnePlus and Google are working together to improve Wear OS

This is similar to the situation Huawei is facing right now, which was put on Entity List by the Trump administration in its ongoing US-China trade war. While the Executive Order from Trump cited national security risk, no evidence to back that claim has been produced. Huawei has time and again denied any such allegations against the company.

SMIC has said that the company will continue to cooperate with relevant U.S. government bodies and will be taking all feasible measures to minimize adverse effects and work out a solution to continue its development.

UP NEXT: Indian government invites proposals and seeks investment to set up semiconductor FABs

The post SMIC ban by the U.S. will affect advanced chip development appeared first on Gizmochina.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), one of the largest chipset makers from China is under the radar of the US government and could face export restrictions. Now, the company has confirmed that it held preliminary exchanges with the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security.

In its filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company says that it is “conducting assessments on the relevant impact of such export restrictions on the company’s production and operation activities,” reports Reuters.

The company has added that it has been operating in compliance with all the relevant laws and regulations of all jurisdictions where it conducts business.

When the reports started surfacing online that the U.S. Department of Commerce has issued letters to some companies asking them to obtain a license to continue supplying goods and services to SMIC.

At that time, China-based SMIC had denied receiving any such notice from the U.S. government and had also mentioned that the company has no relationship with China’s military, which is said to be the reason behind such scrutiny.

EDITOR’S PICK: Xiaomi introduces RAMDISK for smartphones; significantly boosts game performance

The restrictions or the requirement of a license to conduct business with SMIC is similar to what the United States government has imposed on Huawei, the world’s leading telecom equipment manufacturer, making it very difficult for the Chinese company to maintain its business and operations.

SMIC, which is the largest foundry in China, heavily relies on equipment from the United States as well as US-allied countries for manufacturing chips. Getting restricted could severely impact the company’s ability to conduct business.

Although SMIC is the leading chipset manufacturer in China, the company lags behind in terms of technology compared to its rivals — TSMC and Samsung. However, it recently raised around $6.6 billion through STAR Market for advanced technology. It is also working on reducing its reliance on other countries and has recently purchased a used lithography system from SK Hynix for $11.02 million.

UP NEXT: Coolpad COOL 12A with a 6.3-inch display, 16MP dual rear cameras, 4,000mAh battery launched for 599 Yuan (~$88)

The post SMIC holds preliminary exchanges with US over export restrictions appeared first on Gizmochina.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), one of the largest chipset manufacturer in China, has applied for a license from the United States to continue doing business with Huawei, reports Reuters.

SMIC confirmed to Beijing News that it is applying for a license in the U.S. to continue supplying chipsets to Huawei. Further, the company also said that it will abide by laws and regulations in all countries and regions.

The development comes just days after it was reported that the United States is planning to ban China’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, which relies on American chipmaking equipment for its business.

The post SMIC applies for license with the US to continue supplying chipsets to Huawei appeared first on Gizmochina.

The Trump administration in the United States has started a US-China trade war and has been adding sanctions on Huawei. Now, as per the report, the United States is planning to ban China’s largest semiconductor manufacturer SMIC.

SMIC relies on American chipmaking equipment. If the company gets added to the Entity List, that could make it more difficult to obtain the components needed to develop its capabilities and hurt the production of chipsets.

The US Department of Defence is considering whether the chipmaker aids China’s military and defense apparatus. It alleges that SMIC worked with a large Chinese defense company and that university researchers linked to the military have tailored their work to fit SMIC’s technology. However, the company has denied those accusations.

EDITOR’S PICK: Rollme Hero Pro Is World’s First Smartwatch to pack Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chip

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), based in Shanghai, was founded in 20000. It recently raised around $7.8 billion in a secondary listing on the Star Market in July, making it the biggest public offering in China in a decade. For this, the company withdrew its listing from the New York Stock Exchange.

Although the company ranks among the top five semiconductor manufacturers in the world, it is far behind its competitors in terms of technology. While the likes of TSMC and Samsung have started manufacturing 5nm chipsets, SMIC is still using the 14nm process for manufacturing smartphone chips.

UP NEXT: HUAWEI Y9a announced with MediaTek helio G80, 64MP quad-camera, and 40W fast charging

The post China’s largest chipset maker SMIC could get blacklisted by the United States appeared first on Gizmochina.