More Apple Rumors
In IFTLE 139 [see IFTLE 139, “ More on Apple A7 processor Production Rumors â??¦”] I reported on a Digitimes report that TSMC is expected to tape out Apple’s A7 processor on a 20nm process in March and then "..move the chip into risk production in May-June, which will pave the way for commercial shipments in the first quarter of 2014â??¦ TSMC will utilize 14-fab to manufacture the A7 chips for Apple" and that "institutional investors" were reporting that "Samsung is likely to receive 50% of the A7 processor orders, TSMC 40%, and Intel 10%."
What we didn’t discuss was whether TSMC would be filling the order as an 2.5D interposer based module. Over a year ago [ see IFTLE 88 Apple TSV Interposerrumorsâ??¦] we reported rumors that the A6 was being taped out as an interposer based module. Obviously that didn’t happen
I’m hoping this is pure BS [like the bogus story of Samsung paying their Apple fines in nickels (still smarting from that one)], but this is from people in the know and I felt you should at least be aware of what’s being said behind closed doors. Hopefully we can laugh this off in a few weeks or months when it is proven to be untrue.
Other reports from Taiwan indicate that TSMC has done a complete 360 from a few years ago and is now pushing CoWoS and telling customers that they need to adopt NOW if they want to get future priority.
Semi just reported a book to bill of 1.10 for Feb 2013, which is good news . The three-month average of worldwide billings in February 2013 was $975.3 million. While this number is 26.3 percent lower than the February 2012 billings level of $1.32 billion, it indicates that we are coming out of the downturn that we were in last fall.