Apple's chip makers used to be Qualcomm, but due to deterioration of Qualcomm's relationship with Apple last year, Apple will replace the baseband supplier this year, rumors that Intel took over the Qualcomm.However, Apple's replacement baseband suppliers will bring a series of chain reaction, These semiconductor manufacturers will be how to reshuffle it?
Apple's iPhone product line this year may be fully switched to Intel's baseband chip, a change in the past Qualcomm Qicheng, Intel's 30% dual-supplier strategy.This news came, Qualcomm shares fell by 3%.
Qualcomm has been Apple's chip supplier for years, but relations between Qualcomm and Apple have deteriorated since Apple sued Qualcomm for pricing too high on its chips last year and declined to pay about a billion dollars in refunds.
Intel baseband chip
If Apple really adjusted for baseband suppliers this year, there will be a degree of reshuffling in Apple's supply chain.
In terms of RF chips, RF components such as power amplifiers (PA) previously used by Qualcomm's baseband chip platforms are mainly based on products from Avago, which is likely to switch from Avago to Qorvo after Intel's launch. Correspondingly, For Avago, Qorvo Foundry's steady Mao, as well as for OEM foundry KYEC, etc. will have a corresponding impact.Jing Yuan Yuan from Apple introduced iPhone 7, Intel baseband chip is the main back-end test plant, if Intel took all iPhone orders, KYEC orders will also surge, becoming Intel and Qualcomm for Apple orders for the benefit of vendors.
Foundry, after Intel and Qualcomm shipped to Apple's mobile baseband chip by TSMC foundry, Intel replaced Qualcomm, the chip is expected to be moved back to Intel's own wafer fab production.Currently Intel has begun planning to expand Its own wafer production capacity is expected to be 10nm in 2019, the company had threatened to go against TSMC.
As a result, TSMC and UMC and other original Qualcomm orders accounted for more than 10% of revenue of the wafer fab will be affected.To this more optimistic that TSMC, said not worried about transfer orders, the mode of operation is not dependent on Qualcomm, Apple is only Qualcomm orders Part of it, the impact is limited.
Apple will also replace a portion of its Broadcom products with Qorvo and STMicro products, with nearly 15% of TSMC's revenue coming from Broadcom and Qualcomm, and 17% of UMC's revenue coming from both companies, with nearly 15% % Of revenue comes from Qorvo. This change will be implemented, Apple's supply chain will also have some shuffle.