Oliver Haslam on April 23, 2021, 1:14 am

Apple Ramps Up M1 Chip Production For New iPad Pro Expecting Massive Demand

Apple recently announced that it is switching the iPad Pro from the A-series of chips to the Apple M1. That’s a huge deal, and a new DigiTimes report claims that Apple has asked TSMC to ramp up production for the M1 so as to ensure enough are available for new iPad Pros and Macs.

Apple first began shipping products with the M1 chip in November of last year, with DigiTimes now saying that the company has asked TSMC to produce as many as 150,000 monthly chip wafers from the second quarter of the year through the fourth.

That’s an increase on the previous goal of 120,000.

TSMC will be stepping up its 5nm chip output, scaling it up to as much as 150,000 wafers monthly starting in the second quarter through the end of this year, according to industry sources.

It was notable that even though Apple announced new iPad Pro and iMacs that use the M1 chips this week, the company says that the machines won’t be ready to ship until the second half of May. It’s clear the company is already struggling to get chips into machines, although it’s also obvious it’s pushing TSMC to make sure that’s an issue that doesn’t go on for too long.

Pre-orders for the new iMac and iPad Pros will begin on Friday, April 30 with buyers having to wait a few weeks before they can take delivery.