Less than six weeks before Apple's expected September launch, the reported memory crunch has halted final packaging in Taiwan and raised supply risks for iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Ultra and some MacBook Air models.
TSMC's production flow for Apple's A20 Pro processor has been disrupted by a shortage of DRAM (a type of memory chip), leaving up to $1 billion, or about NT$32 billion, of chips unable to complete back-end packaging, according to independent technology journalist Tim Culpan. The report said front-end wafer output on TSMC's 2nm (N2) process is meeting capacity and yield expectations, but wafers are piling up because the new Apple-specific packaging step in Longtan, Taiwan, needs DRAM that is in short supply. The A20 Pro is expected to use Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module, or WMCM (packaging that combines multiple dies), which industry insiders described as a mobile version of CoWoS. Apple's memory sourcing has long centered on Micron, alongside SK Hynix and Samsung, but strong demand for LPDDR5X DRAM (low-power, high-bandwidth memory) for AI servers and high-performance computing has left Apple competing with other non-AI buyers. Supply-chain sources said Apple and its assemblers have pushed suppliers to accelerate mobile DRAM deliveries and have explored talks with Chinese memory maker CXMT, without success so far. The shortage is already being linked to delayed shipments of some MacBook Air models, while post-launch supply of iPhone 18 Pro models and Apple's first foldable iPhone Ultra may depend on how quickly memory supply improves. TSMC, Apple and the memory suppliers had not formally responded when the report surfaced.