Apple is collaborating with Samsung to create digital image sensors for upcoming iPhone models, as reported by The Financial Times. This collaboration aligns with Apple’s recent announcement that it is partnering with Samsung’s semiconductor plant in Austin, Texas, to introduce “a groundbreaking chip-making technology never before utilized globally.”
According to The Financial Times, Samsung will apply this advanced chip technology to produce three-layer stacked image sensors for the iPhone 18 series set to release next year, citing unnamed sources “familiar with the deal.” Currently, Sony is the exclusive supplier of Apple’s image sensors, manufactured in Japan through a deal with TSMC. Unlike Samsung, Sony lacks a US-based chip production facility, which would help it avoid impending tariffs on chips made outside of the US.
“We continue to lead in providing advanced sensor technology to our clients, and we will concentrate on further advancing technology through increased sensor size and density,” Sony stated in response to The Financial Times.
The collaboration with Samsung is part of a $100 billion expansion to Apple’s American Manufacturing Program, boosting investment to $600 billion to enhance its US supply chain. “By introducing this technology initially in the US, this facility will supply chips that enhance the power and performance of Apple products, including iPhones distributed worldwide,” Apple noted in their press release.
