| | | Bill, re: SoftBank set to rescue Intel / and US Gov...................................
This discussion required further Q&A with Copilot
Exactly Which of the major TSMC customers are going to comit big bucks to INTC ?
NVDA?
BRCM?
AAPL?
QCOM?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
FWIW -- results >>>>>>>>>>>
Don't know if the following is correct, but found it interesting, and did not realize how much AAPL spent on TSMC (below is just for iPhones, not Macs) and how much more their cost per SoC was comparied to QCOMs SD SoC for smartphones. .
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
?? 2024 TSMC Cost Comparison – iPhone vs Snapdragon Smartphone SoCs
Final Reconciled Version
Metric
| Apple iPhone (A17/A18 Pro + C1 Modem)
| Snapdragon Smartphone SoCs (All Tiers)
| Units Shipped (2024 est.)
| ~232 million
| ~640 million
| Avg Node Used
| N3B / N3E
| Mix of N3E, N4, N6, N7, N10, N22
| Total TSMC Cost (Est.)
| $17.5B – $19.5B
| $6.8B – $8.2B
| Avg Cost per Unit (Est.)
| ~$75–$84
| ~$11–$13
| Packaging
| PoP (stacked DRAM + PMIC)
| PoP + BGA (varies by tier)
| Modem
| Apple C1 (discrete, 4nm)
| Integrated Snapdragon X-series (4nm–10nm)
| Flagship Node Share
| 100% (N3B/N3E)
| ~35% (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2/3/4 on N4/N3E)
| Die Size Range
| ~130–150 mm²
| ~60–140 mm² (varies by tier)
| Yield Assumption
| ~90–92%
| ~85–90% (lower on larger dies)
| Wafer ASP (TSMC)
| ~$20K–$25K
| ~$6K–$22K (tier-weighted)
| Qualcomm Snapdragon Tier Breakdown – 2024
With Avg Cost per Unit and Total Summary
Tier
| Est. Units
| Node
| Die Size (mm²)
| Avg Wafer Cost
| Avg TSMC Revenue
| Avg Cost per Unit
| 8 Gen 2/3/4
| ~225M
| N4 / N3E
| ~120–140
| $20K
| $4.15B
| ~$18.45
| 7 Gen 1 / 7s Gen 2
| ~160M
| N6 / N7
| ~90–110
| $13.5K
| $1.80B
| ~$11.25
| 6 Gen 1 / 4 Gen 1 / 480+
| ~255M
| N10 / N22 / legacy
| ~60–80
| $7.5K
| $1.55B
| ~$6.08
| ?? Total
| ~640M
| Mixed
| —
| —
| $7.50B
| ~$11.72 (blended)
| cost uplift applied to 8-series only.
Qualcomm Tier Totals (2024)
Tier
| Units
| Node
| TSMC Revenue Est.
| 8 Gen 2/3/4
| ~225M
| N4 / N3E
| $3.8B – $4.5B
| 7 Gen 1 / 7s Gen 2
| ~160M
| N6 / N7
| $1.6B – $2.0B
| 6 Gen 1 / 4 Gen 1 / 480+
| ~255M
| N10 / N22
| $1.4B – $1.7B
| Total QCOM
| ~640M
| Mixed
| $6.8B – $8.2B
| ?? Key Insights
- Apple’s exclusive use of N3B/N3E nodes and premium packaging drives a much higher per-unit cost and total TSMC spend.
- Qualcomm’s broader volume (~640M units) spans flagship, midrange, and entry tiers, diluting ASP and wafer cost.
- Only ~225M Snapdragon units use TSMC’s advanced nodes, while the rest rely on older, lower-cost processes.
|
|
