Apple could start designing its own power chips as early as 2018, which would reduce Cupertino’s reliance on Dialogue Semiconductor PLC.
The chipmaker is the sole provider of power chips for Apple, but if Nikkel‘s sources familiar with the matter are reliable, then that could change very soon.
“Based on Apple’s current plan, they are set to replace partially, or around half of its power management chips to go into iPhones by itself starting next year,” a source said.
That’s bad news for Dialogue Semiconductor, a UK company which saw its share price tumble by up to 19% as the rumours came to light.
But for Apple it means more control over its hardware and a chance to put some of its engineering prowess to task and make improved power chips for its iPhones.
For iPhone fans, that could mean improved battery life, faster charging and enhanced energy consumption.
Designing its own power chips makes sense for Apple, as it already designs its own mobile processor chips, based on ARM instruction sets, and has Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co make them for it.
If Apple does indeed go on to design its own power chips then TSMC will likely make them for Cupertino, thereby ensuring its place as the world’s largest chipmaker remains intact in the coming years.
There’s naturally a degree of speculation here, but Apple has always been a company keen to create and control its own technology, so the industry rumours have a good chance to be more than just gossip.
And hopefully come 2018 or 2019 we will see iPhones that have a battery life that lasts more than a day’s worth of decent use.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
