SAMSUNG AND APPLE STILL TIED TO THE HIP IN MANY SMARTPHONE COMPONENTS–AND NOW AN SSD DEAL IN THE BILLIONS–WILL EQUIP 3D V-NAND FLASH IN APPLES ULTRA SLIM HIGH END NOTEBOOK–AS APPLE’S A9 CHIPSET TO BE MANUFACTURED BY SAMSUNG WITH TMS AS ITS SECONDARY SOURCE

Samsung Electronics struck another major chip deal with Apple with an estimated monetary value of "billions of dollars," helping Samsung further strengthen its chip business.

The latest agreement is calling for Samsung Electronics to sell its latest solid state drive (SSD) storage devices using its V-NAND technology to Apple's new range of ultra-slim and high-end notebook models, two people directly involved with the deal told The Korea Times, Friday.

"Samsung Electronics recently agreed with Apple to provide SSDs using its latest three-dimensional (3D) V-NAND tech. The deal is estimated to be worth a "few billion dollars," said one of the people.
Samsung's chip factory in Xian, China, will handle the production.
While Samsung will start providing Apple with entire chunks of the requested SSD products, the shipment volume, however, is subject to change according to situations, he said.

The deal is the third of its kind and Samsung will be responsible for at least half of the production of mobile DRAM chips to be used in upcoming iPhones.
Apple has also enlisted Samsung to handle 80 percent of the production of the A9 chipset to power new iPhones, pushing Taiwan's TSMC back to the secondary position in the highly profitable mobile application chip business.

"Samsung's SSD products with 3D V-NAND technology offer a significant performance boost in performance and endurance as compared to its predecessors, making them ideal for use in high-end notebooks. Samsung is the only company to mass produce the products currently," said the other people.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2015/03/133_175177.html