For mobile phone manufacturers, in the current "missing core" year, it can be said that the chip holder wins the world.
Recently, it has been reported that the A16 processor prepared by Apple for the new generation of product lines such as the iPhone14 has been developed and will use TSMC's 4-nanometer process technology, which is expected to enter mass production in the second half of this year. In order to ensure adequate supply, Apple accepted TSMC's price increase requirements for the first time in history, and proudly contracted TSMC's 120,000-150,000 pieces of 4-nanometer production capacity.
Compared with the 5nm process, the 4nm process is expected to increase the efficacy by 11%, increase the density by 6%, and reduce the power consumption by 22%.
Some insiders pointed out that TSMC's chip foundry price rose across the board this year, with a year-on-year increase of about 8%-10%. However, since Apple is its largest customer, the price increase of the 4-nanometer process will be lower than that of other processes.
However, it is precisely because of the price increase of chips and the lack of cores that the industry expects that Apple's iPhone 14 series will continue to use the A15 processor that has been mass-produced, and the iPhone 14 Pro will be equipped with the latest A16 processor.
Thanks to the continuous high heat of the market, TSMC's chip foundry bargaining power has been further improved, and its revenue and net profit in the fourth quarter have reached new highs, of which net profit is as high as $5.975 billion, an increase of 16.5% year-on-year; and revenue is more than 21.2% year-on-year to $15.736 billion, setting a new high for six consecutive quarters.
TSMC expects revenue in the first quarter of this year to reach a new high in the range of $16.6 billion to $17.2 billion. This year, TSMC will significantly increase capital expenditure, focusing on increasing production capacity to keep up with demand, and is expected to achieve an average revenue growth rate of 15%-20% in the next few years, higher than market expectations.