In The series of lawsuits that the two tech-giants had filed against each other have now taken a real toll. According to sources, Taiwan's TSMC has already started trial manufacturing of next generation A6 chips for Apple Inc. This by itself is a clear sign that the maker of iPhone and iPad is gearing to part ways from its traditional chip supplier, Samsung Electronics.
As of now Samsung continues to be the sole supplier for the A5 chips used in the iPad 2, but Apple seems keen to move its supply chain away from the Korean company. This is because Samsung has turned out to be Apple's toughest competitor in the smartphone and tablet space. Their rivalry in business is the primary motivation for the ongoing acrimonious legal battle between the two companies.
TSMC is currently worlds largest contract chip maker; it has experience with ARM architecture, widely used by Apple to make power-efficient mobile chips. However, the chip that the company makes for Apple might not be called A6. The TSMC spokeswoman Elizabeth Sun said she could not comment on this issue or on market rumours. The spokespersons for Apple and Samsung have also declined to comment.
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