Photo: Sonny Dickson/Cult of Mac
Apple has increased its order of next-generation A18 chips from TSMC to between 90 million and 100 million units, according to a new report. That suggests it may anticipate increasing demand for its upcoming Apple Intelligence-boosted iPhone 16 series. An increase of roughly 10 million units over last year is nothing to sneeze at.
Apple chip orders suggest big demand for AI-boosted iPhone 16
The iPhone giant’s significant increase in chip orders from last year’s initial order for the iPhone 15 series, rumored to be 80-90 million units, could point to more demand for iPhone 16 handsets with Apple Intelligence, according to Taiwanese source CTEE. The iPhone 16 series should launch in mid-September, following Apple’s usual release schedule.
In other words, the expected launch of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 is likely to drive higher initial sales of iPhone 16 handsets because people feel more urgency to replace them to get new the much-anticipated new functionality. And new AI features will require at least an iPhone 15 Pro (or any iPhone 16 model) to function, leaving many users of iPhone 15 and older series feeling uninvited to the AI party.
All iPhone 16 models may use versions of A18 chip
All iPhone 16 models are expected to use A18-branded chips manufactured using TSMC’s N3E process, a more cost-effective and higher-yield version of its 3nm technology. Following a recent standard, the base iPhone 16 and 16 Plus may adopt the A17 Pro design from last year’s Pro models, but generate it through the newer N3E process and rebrand it as a version of A18.
Meanwhile, iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max could feature an enhanced “A18 Pro” chip that is 15% to 18% larger, carrying more graphics and AI capabilities, according to CTEE.
Reports suggest that all iPhone 16 models may offer 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in the standard iPhone 15 models. This increase aligns with Apple’s stated requirements for running large-language models on-device.
