A new supply chain report this morning reveals that UMC has received a contract to manufacture crucial chips for Apple’s upcoming iPhone antenna modules. According to a report from Economic Daily News, the production volume is said to be in the tens of thousands. In context, It is reported that the orders from UMC this time come from Qorvo, a supplier for Apple’s power amplifier (PA).

Qorvo designs new iPhone antenna components for Apple, integrating new chips and supplying them with Qorvo power amplifiers. These new chips adopt UMC’s 3DIC technology and are manufactured by UMC.

Per the report citing industry sources, it has revealed that the chips Qorvo outsourced UMC this time are products of Anokiwave, a wireless communication chip factory that Qorvo recently merged with early this year. They will be integrated into the design of new iPhone antenna modules and are currently gradually increasing in volume.

As smartphones gradually integrate AI functionality, the sources cited in the same report also reveal that Apple is enhancing efficiency by adopting a new design for the next generation iPhone antenna module. They are incorporating products from Anokiwave, which was acquired by Qorvo earlier this year, to enhance iPhone reception capabilities.

With Qorvo leveraging Anokiwave’s products and partnering with UMC for manufacturing, UMC secures critical component chip orders for the iPhone once again. Previously, UMC also manufactured driver IC chips for Apple through NovaTek.