Market rumors claim TSMC is holding onto a billion-dollar stockpile of Apple chips due to not having enough memory to complete packaging. However, a prominent analyst doubts it to be the case.
The persisting memory supply crisis has caused problems with the supply chain, in both sourcing chips for products and in paying high prices for them too. While there is certainly a crisis at hand, not every major supply chain-related claim will be completely true.
On August 10, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote about market rumors that TSMC had a stockpile of 2-nanometer chips made for Apple. Valued at $1 billion, the pile was supposedly made of processor wafers for semi-finished products.
The apparent reason was due to a DRAM supply shortage, because Apple has memory attached to the System on Chip (SoC) for its Apple Silicon chips. Since there's not enough memory available, those chips couldn't be packaged.
Kuo adds that the apparent evidence for the claim was TSMC's Q2 2026 earnings call, which mentioned "increased inventory days" due to the ramp-up of production of 2-nanometer chips.
However, Kuo disagrees with the claims, because Apple and TSMC's working relationship involves intense planning. Something that couldn't realistically cause this to happen at all.
Evidently, rumors aren't just limited to supposed specs and colors of iPhones.
