TAIPEI Apple is developing its own main power management chips to be used in iPhones as early as next year, according to industry sources, as the tech giant's quest for design self-sufficiency continues to shake up its supply chain.
The main power management chip controls an iPhone's charging function, battery management and energy consumption. It is one of the most important and expensive components after core processors, modems and memory chips. "Based on Apple's current plan, as many as half of the power management chips used in iPhones next year will be developed in-house," said one of the sources.
