Apple dropping Samsung for A6X chip manufacturing

Apple has entered into a contract with chip-maker TSMC with the latter being commissioned to create the A6X chipset in place of Samsung, according to reports from Taiwan.

Rumours have been circulating for some time that Apple is seeking to distance itself from rival Samsung after a long period of legal dispute, which saw litigation in a number of different countries, took a particularly nasty turn in the later half of 2012.

Apple and Samsung have enjoyed a working relationship for some time, with Samsung manufacturing a number of key components for Apple mobile products while simultaneously being in competition.

Reports have suggested several manufacturing deals between the two companies would be severed following legal clashes but the only one which hasn’t been publicly denied by the iPhone-maker remains chip development and production sector.

The truth at the root of that non-denial has now emerged, according to Taiwan news publication ‘Commercial Times’, which reported that Apple has inked a deal with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

TSMC will take over manufacturing of Apple’s new A6X chipset found in the iPad 4. Allegedly, the trial production by TSMC will kick off as early as Q1 2013, suggesting that a transitional phase is likely already underway.

The news also coincides with other recent rumours suggesting Apple would look to TSMC’s 20 nanometre (nm) semiconductor technology as a basis for future chips in next-generation iPads and iPhones in both quad-core and dual-core configurations respectively.

Apple has previously denied rumours that it would seek to source display technology from new suppliers while ditching Samsung.