United Kingdom, Feb. 2 -- Apple is reportedly considering whether some of its lower-end processors could be manufactured by companies other than TSMC.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Cupertino company - who has relied almost exclusively on the chipmaker to fabricate its custom-designed chips like the iPhone A-series and Mac M-series silicons - is exploring other companies to produce some of its lower-end chips.

The outlet claimed mounting pressure on global processor supply - driven largely by the AI boom - is forcing Apple to rethink that dependence.

TSMC is now doing substantially more business with AI heavyweights such as Nvidia, intensifying competition for advanced manufacturing capacity.

Industry analysts have long spe...