Apple's chip production for the new iPhone 13 is reportedly impacted by contaminated gas

The manufacturing process in one of Apple's most important facilities in Taiwan has been negatively impacted by contaminated gas, as reported by tech portal Nikkei Asia. The affected location is none other than the so-called "Fab-18", which is the most technically advanced facility that is operated by Apple's Taiwanese partner TSMC. The factory manufactures Apple's latest chips, including the ones that are used in iPhones (US$579 on Amazon) and MacBooks, which are expected to receive a refresh this fall.

TSMC confirmed that some of its gas supply which is needed for the production of Apple's chips was found to be contaminated. The issue was quickly identified and production resumed with gas from a different supplier. TSMC has nonetheless started an investigation and enhanced its quality control measures to make sure the incident will not affect the quality of the manufactured components. For Apple, production issues like these could not come at a worse time since the production of the new iPhone generation is in full swing.

The assembly of the new iPhone 13, which may also be called the iPhone 12S, is scheduled to begin in late August. Even small production mishaps could potentially lead to shipping delays of Apple's latest smartphones. Even though the incident did not have a major effect on the production, TSMC has called all of its employees back to the factory, even those who were already on their way home.