Apple’s chip supplier is sued; possible ban would affect iPhones, iPads and more

TSMC

We already know by heart and sauté: another day, another process. This time, however, Apple is not directly involved in the judicial imbroglio, but its chip supplier, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

Unfortunately for TSMC, the GlobalFoundries (a California-based semiconductor company) sued her for alleged patent infringements involving Taiwanese manufacturer processors used in iPhones, Google Pixel devices, NVIDIA CPUs and many others, as reported by the American company itself.

More precisely, GlobalFoundries claims that certain TSMC chips infringe 16 of its patents registered in both the United States and Germany. As part of the process, the supplier seeks to block imports of processors that, according to them, depend on these patents to be produced.

Although the litigation is in its early stages, if the case is decided in favor of GlobalFoundries, the bomb will burst not only in the hands of TSMC, but also in the businesses of some technology giants, such as Apple, Google, NVIDIA, ASUS , Lenovo, OnePlus and Qualcomm itself, with which the Apple has been bad for a long time.

GlobalFoundries announced earlier this year that it would end chip development using the 7 nanometer production method, changing its strategy to specific systems, such as radio frequency and IoT. Without the ability to compete with giants in the field, such as TSMC and Samsung, apparently the company decided that the best option is to advance its patents to win this fight in the judicial field.

According to Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at GlobalFoundries, Gregg Bartlett, these processes are actually intended to “protect investments and innovation based in the US and Europe”, claiming that TSMC “illegally reaps the benefits » of this:

For years, while dedicating billions of dollars to research and development, TSMC illegally reaps the benefits of our investments. This action is essential to stop the illegal use of our vital assets and protect the American and European manufacturing base.

As we said, GlobalFoundries seeks to ban the import of chips from TSMC which, if enacted, would affect all Apple product lines that use A series chips (iPhones, iPads, iPods touch, etc.) in addition to gadgets other manufacturers. According to the Tom’s Hardware, an immediate embargo is unlikely, but possible in the short / medium term.