TSMC's Strategic Partnership with Apple: How It Beat Intel to Become the Main Chip Foundry

In a recent interview with the YouTube channel Acquired, TSMC founder Morris Chang discussed how the company managed to secure its position as Apple's main chip foundry partner. In 2011, Intel attempted to become Apple's chip manufacturing partner, but it only took two months for Apple CEO Tim Cook to decide to stick with TSMC. Chang said that during a private meeting with Cook in March of that year, the Apple executive expressed concerns about Intel's ability to act as a foundry, stating 'Intel just does not know how to be a foundry.' The relationship between TSMC and Apple has been strong ever since, even when Apple has made significant changes to TSMC's chip roadmap. In one instance in 2014, Apple caused major alterations to the roadmap, but TSMC accommodated their client's wishes in order to maintain their close working relationship.