TSMC Arizona Said to Begin Apple S9 SiP Production Alongside Ryzen 9000 Series Processor

TSMC's Fab 21 site in Arizona is the company's most ambitious chip production facility outside Taiwan.

TSMC Arizona Said to Begin Apple S9 SiP Production Alongside Ryzen 9000 Series Processor

Photo Credit: Reuters

TSMC is producing the A9 SiP that is in use on the Apple Watch Ultra 2

Highlights
  • TSMC Arizona was previously producing A16 Bionic chips for the iPhone 15
  • The firm is now reportedly producing chips for the Apple Watch Ultra 2
  • TSMC is also said to be producing a Ryzen 9000-series CPU for AMD
Advertisement

TSMC has begun production of two processors for AMD and Apple at its Arizona plant, according to a report by Tim Culpan, a technology journalist based in Taiwan. The chips are being developed at TSMC's Fab 21 facility, on its 4nm N4 and N4P process technologies — the chipmaker's Phase 1 is expected to begin operations in the coming months. TSMC is also working on hiring employees at Fab 21, for roles related to fab operations and the installation of equipment.

TSMC Arizona Picks Up Production of Apple's S9 SiP Alongside A16 Bionic

Citing industry sources, Culpan reports that TSMC Arizona has begun producing Apple's S9 System-in-Package (SiP) which is used on the company's previous generation Apple Watch Series 9 (which was discontinued last year) and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The processor is being produced using TSMC's N4 (4nm) technology.

This is the second Apple-made chip to be produced by TSMC at Fab 21 — the company has been producing the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15 since last year. Thee journalist states that the A16 Bionic and Apple's S9 SiP share some similarities, which meant that TSMC only had to adapt the technology used to fabricate the former in order to begin producing the smartwatch processor.

According to Culpan, the second chip that is being produced by TSMC is an AMD Ryzen 9000-series processor. These Zen5 desktop CPUs were unveiled by AMD in June 2024, and are codenamed Granite Ridge. The journalist mentions a Ryzen 9000 CPU with the codenamed "Grand Rapids" instead, so it's unclear whether this is an unreleased chipset.

TSMC is also working on completing Phase 1B of its plan to ramp up production at the US chip plant, Culpan writes. The firm aims to eventually produce up to 24,000 wafers per month, by the end of Q1 2025. Under Phase 1A, TSMC is currently producing 10,000 wafers per month, and it is expected to hire more employees — some more Taiwanese workers are expected to join the company — as the company works to ramp up production at the facility.

  • REVIEW
  • KEY SPECS
  • NEWS
  • Design
  • Display
  • Software
  • Performance
  • Battery Life
  • Camera
  • Value for Money
  • Good
  • Big upgrades over the 14
  • Excellent ergonomics, build quality
  • Very good all-round performance
  • Apple ecosystem benefits
  • Bad
  • Relatively slow charging
  • Expensive
  • Still a 60Hz display
Display 6.10-inch
Processor Apple A16 Bionic
Front Camera 12-megapixel
Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel
RAM 6GB
Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
OS iOS 17
Resolution 1179x2556 pixels
Comments

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2025 hub.

David Delima
As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More
Omi AI Companion Unveiled at CES 2025, Could Be Able to Read Users’ Thoughts in the Future
IMF Urges Kenya to Align Crypto Regulations with Global Standards
Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat LinkedIn Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News

Advertisement

Follow Us
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »