Ingrid Lee, Taipei; Jessie Shen

 

Packaging and testing firm Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) is likely to snatch outsourcing orders for Apple's new processor dubbed A6, according to industry sources.

Apple recently conducted a visit to SPIL's assembly line, and both parties discussed opportunities for cooperation, the sources revealed. SPIL stands a chance of becoming the first packaging and testing service provider designated by Apple, cutting into the supply chain of the vendor's processor line, the sources said.

SPIL has responded by denying the speculation.

Apple's A4 processors are exclusively manufactured by Samsung Electronics, which also provides back-end services for those chips. Samsung has grabbed a majority of orders for newer, faster A5 chips but is no longer the exclusive supplier to Apple, which reportedly has approached Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for foundry services.

Apple's upcoming A6, likely to be a quad-core design, and reportedly is being trial manufactured by TSMC with volume production slated to begin as early as the second quarter of 2012, according to industry sources.