Market rumors claim TSMC is holding onto a billion-dollar stockpile of Apple chips due to not enough memory to complete packaging. However, prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doubts it.\n\nOn August 10, Kuo addressed rumors that TSMC had a stockpile of 2-nanometer chips for Apple valued at $1 billion, supposedly due to a DRAM supply shortage. Kuo disagrees because Apple and TSMC plan orders about three months in advance based on available memory, making such a pile-up unlikely.\n\nKuo notes TSMC's increased inventory days are standard for ramping up new processes and not specific to Apple.

TSMC also supplies other firms like AMD and MediaTek. While Apple faces memory shortages, Kuo hasn't heard of any dramatic billion-dollar stockpile. Thus, the rumor is doubtful.