With Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro lineup just weeks away from launch, a new report suggests buyers could face trouble getting one right away. According to Tim Culpan, a veteran semiconductor analyst with more than a decade of experience tracking chip supplies, a DRAM shortage is holding up production and could leave Apple short on inventory following the launch.
TSMC is reportedly sitting on $1 billion in stalled chips
The iPhone 18 Pro is expected to pack Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, the first processor built on TSMC’s 2nm process. Culpan notes that while the silicon itself is turning out in strong volumes and high yields, TSMC is waiting on DRAM modules before it can move the finished wafers forward.
He explains that the new Wafer‑Level Multi‑Chip Module (Wafer‑Level MCP) fuses the processor and its memory together on the same wafer, a step that cannot be completed until the DRAM arrives. The resulting backlog of finished A20 Pro wafers is estimated to be worth around $1 billion.
Apple and its assembly partners remain confident they can meet the initial demand, but they anticipate that online orders will slip and retail shelves could empty quickly after the first batch hits stores.
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends
Fewer alternatives could make the shortage worse
Apple isn’t planning to release a new base iPhone 18 model this fall; that device has been pushed to spring 2027 as part of a split‑launch strategy. A second‑generation iPhone Air also remains delayed until then, leaving the premium iPhone Ultra as the only other new iPhone arriving alongside the Pro models.
With fewer options on the table, shoppers are likely to gravitate toward the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, tightening the supply gap even more. Past iPhone releases, such as the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, sold out during pre‑order windows and pushed deliveries into October. This year’s leaner lineup leaves less room for inventory buffers, so early ordering is advisable for anyone hoping to receive a device on launch day.
