Since 2014, TSMC has held the exclusive position as the foundry for Apple's in-house-developed SoCs. However, this 12-year-long collaborative relationship may now be nearing a pivotal juncture. Citing sources within the chip supply chain, The Wall Street Journal reported that, owing to TSMC's intensifying cooperation with AI firms like Nvidia in recent times, Apple is considering shifting some of its low-end processor orders to alternative foundries. Earlier, Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, acknowledged that the company has overtaken Apple to become TSMC's top customer, largely attributable to the burgeoning demand for AI chips. While Apple continues to be a major client for TSMC, the nature of their partnership is evolving from being "deeply intertwined" to "strategically sharing." In an effort to mitigate supply chain risks, Apple is actively exploring diversification strategies. This includes collaborating with Samsung on the production of CMOS image sensors and planning to have Intel manufacture certain low-end M-series chips starting from 2027, thereby disrupting TSMC's long-standing exclusive supply arrangement.