Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) is said to have won an agreement to supply a second processor for Apple and on Thursday reported a record high net profit for the third quarter of the year. The the world's largest contract chip maker will manufacture
the A8X processor for a larger iPad expected to be officially announced today, according to Bloomberg's sources. TSMC is already making the A8 processor used in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Samsung Electronics was previously the sole supplier of Apple’s main smartphone and tablet chips.

TSMC posted record sales in the September quarter after Apple began selling its new iPhones using the A8. The company on Thursday also reported a record high net profit for the third quarter of the year, citing strong demand for communications devices and products for industrial use.

For the July-September period, TSMC posted NT$76.34 billion (US$2.51 billion) in net profit, up 27.9 percent from the previous quarter and 46.9 percent year-on-year.

Shipments of 20-nanometer process technology accounted for 9% of TSMC's total wafer revenues. 28-nanometer accounted for 34% of total wafer revenues. Advanced technologies, defined as 28-nanometer and 20-nanometer technologies, accounted for 43% of total wafer revenues, the company said.