Seems we’ll be waiting a bit for an Apple-built modem

Looks like we’ll have to wait a while before seeing an Apple-built modem.

Apple manufacturing partner TSMC is expected to see its capacity utilization for 7/6nm process nodes rebound in the second half of 2023, thanks to substantial orders for Qualcomm’s RF chips used in Apple’s next-generation iPhones, reports DigiTimes Asia, quoting unnamed “industry sources.”

This sounds like there’ll be no Apple-built modem next year. However, this isn’t a big surprise. Apple will continue to use modem chips from Qualcomm for next year’s iPhone 15 line-up, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported last month.

At one point, the tech giant was expected to start equipping its smartphone line-up with its custom-build modems in 2023. Apparently, that plan has been delayed to 2024 or beyond. 

Gurman says that Apple’s efforts have been stymied by prototype versions of the modems overheating and that the company wouldn’t begin a switch until 2024 at the earliest. Qualcomm continues to assume it will only receive minimal revenue contributions from Apple in fiscal 2025. 

Apple currently uses Qualcomm modems. However, the tech giant acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business in July 2019 and added 2,200 Intel engineers to its chipset operations globally.