Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and its IC design service partner Global UniChip have reportdely reached a foundry agreement with Apple supply for the upcoming next A-series chips built using 20nm, 16nm and 10nm process nodes, Digitimes.com reported today citing industry sources. TSMC will start to manufacture Apple's A8 chips in July 2013, and will ramp up its 20nm production capacity after December, the sources revealed. The foundry will complete installing a batch of new 20nm fab equipment, which is capable of processing 50,000 wafers, in the first quarter of 2014. TSMC is scheduled to volume produce the Apple A9 and A9X processors starting the end of third-quarter 2014.

The upcoming Apple A8 processor will be found in a new iPhone slated for release in early 2014, and the A9/A9X chips will be used in the newer-generation iPhone and iPad products.

TSMC's phase-4, -5 and -6 facilities of Fab 14, its 12-inch fab located in southern Taiwan, will be dedicated to making Apple's A-series processors.