Apple can always rely on TSMC to fulfill its orders for millions of chipsets, but this year could tell a very different tale. However, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer isn’t at fault, as a previous report has stated that TSMC is sitting on $1 billion worth of A20 Pro units, but they can’t move to the next step unless sufficient DRAM supply arrives.

As more AI customers begin placing orders for TSMC’s 2nm process, the company is reportedly on track to achieve a fresh milestone of 100,000 monthly wafers before 2026 draws to a close. The company’s progress with its next-generation lithography is downright impressive because even in the face of overwhelming demand, TSMC has managed to keep pace with its customers’ requirements, including Apple. However, Culpium has new updates to share that could disrupt the latter’s supply chain as we know it.

The Taiwanese semiconductor behemoth has a series of fabrication plants on its home turf that manage the Herculean task of 2nm wafer production while also applying the new Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module Packaging (WMCM) at its Fab 3 located in Longtan. Apple’s newest SoCs typically enter mass production in July or August so that the company is prepared well in advance when pre-orders begin shortly after its September keynote.

Every year, a truckload of orders needs to be fulfilled, and TSMC helps Apple fulfill them to the best of its abilities. Unfortunately, this year, the report mentions that there are around $1 billion worth of A20 Pro units just sitting around waiting to be moved to the next step, which can only happen if there’s enough DRAM supply, a problem that Apple is finding immense trouble tackling.

So far, the Cupertino giant has tried every play in the book, from negotiating with current suppliers to forming a partnership with Chinese manufacturer CXMT to procure shipments at a lower price. These attempts have been unsuccessful , leaving Apple with little choice but to pay the premium and enable TSMC to move to the next step with its A20 Pro shipments.

Sadly, with AI customers putting up more and more money for memory orders, especially for LPDDR5X RAM due to its low-power and high-bandwidth properties, Apple is facing a foe on the supply chain battlefield that it’s never met before, leaving it in the same position as non-AI clients, waiting for shipments. With its DRAM woes becoming more and more apparent, there’s a possibility that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max could be delayed.

This memory shortage has caused a chain reaction for the rest of Apple’s supply chain, with final iPhone production being carried out in China. This shortage has also resulted in the company’s MacBook Air shipments getting delayed , with units unavailable for buyers until September.

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