Apple Watch Chips Made in America: TSMC Arizona Debuts S9 SiP Manufacturing Line

January 9, 2025 – According to a blog post published by Tim Culpan, TSMC’s Fab 21 in Arizona has secured new orders from Apple. The factory, which started producing A16 Bionic chips for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus in September 2024, is now also manufacturing SiP chips for the Apple Watch, believed to be the S9 SiP.

The S9 SiP, which made its debut in 2023 with the release of the Apple Watch Series 9, shares the same technological foundation as the A16 chip, utilizing TSMC’s 4-nanometer process technology. This allows TSMC to efficiently adapt its Arizona production line to manufacture both chips simultaneously.

It’s worth noting that while Apple has discontinued the Apple Watch Series 9, the S9 chip is still being used in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which was introduced at the same time.

Fab 21 is a significant semiconductor manufacturing hub for TSMC, although its production capacity is still in its early stages. Currently, the facility operates at a monthly output of approximately 10,000 wafers during its initial Phase 1A. These wafers are used to produce chips for Apple, including the A16 and S9, as well as products for other customers like AMD. The upcoming Phase 1B, expected to be completed in early 2025, will double the factory’s capacity to 24,000 wafers per month.

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