Explained: The unbelievably complex process of making semiconductor chips

Employees work on Apple iPhone production at a Foxconn factory on September 4, 2021, in Zhongmu County, Henan, China. TSMC's recent success has been linked to one client's trust in particular: Apple. For the first six generations of iPhones, Apple had outsourced the manufacturing of its chips to the South Korea-based Samsung. Later, Samsung launched its own competing Galaxy smartphones, causing Apple to file a lawsuit over IP theft in 2011, which ended with Apple winning $539 million in a settlement. That dispute was a boon to TSMC as Apple withdrew its supply chains from Samsung and lay clear of partnerships that favour a potential rival. Taiwan-based TSMC was a dedicated foundry business with no rivalling interests, and Apple remains their biggest client to date.