Apple reportedly will use 3nm building for new A17 Pro and M3 series chips, first phones likely in April by Ben Schoon - Share on Facebook... Altogether, the new chips are said to offer improved computing and graphics performance. Apple also introduced OLED iPad Pro versions along with the M4 chips, which are built on 3nm technology but claim to have slightly better performance as well efficiency.
Over the coming years, TSMC - Apple's main chipmaker -, will begin "risk production" of 2nm chips as soon as next week reports ET News. These tests were carried out at TSMC's Baoshan factory in northern Taiwan. The necessary equipment and components for testing were already delivered to the plant in the second quarter of this year.
This is a big step up from the 2nm technology The smaller the process, in this case 2nm, large amount of transistors are crammed inside and hence can perform lightning fast data processing while conserving power. Apple is expected to adopt these 2nm chips in its devices next year, with the minuscule transistors anticipated for iPhone 17 series. With that, comes potential for a big bump in performance and battery life of upcoming devices.
Well, the M5 chip using 2nm process will have even more good features that could beat out the performance of lower cost and power consuming SOC comparing to next-generation hierarchical architecture based chips from Intel or AMD. In concrete terms, this means we can expect a 10-15 percent performance improvement over the current top-end 3nm chips while power use will fall by up to 30 percent. The A18 Pro chip, which will likely be the driving force behind iPhone 17 Pro models, should also see similar enhancements.
Of course, these are long-term goals and there will be challenges ahead. The 2nm chips are under test, but a manufacturing process as sophisticated takes time and the chipmaker refinements. But problems could also potentially delay Apple's product launches by weeks or even months if they occurred during production. Despite that, TSMC expects to start volume production for the 2nm chip next year with a goal of getting good yields. Because, high yields are important to make sure that Apple never run to out of supply and be able meet its launch timelines.
The iPhone maker is TSMC's largest customer, accounting for a big chunk of the supplier's sales. If TSMC can win a large order for 2nm chips from Apple... it matters. Apple has a lot riding on these high-end chips, which have until now been critical to helping it stay ahead in the market.
Not only will the iPhone 17 lineup debut with TSMC's anticipated 2nm chips followed by its new crop of cutting-edge MacBooks, but future AirPods also have something to look forward to. Looking ahead, this should be a significant leap forward in Apple's upcoming devices.
A move to 2nm technology underlines Apple's ongoing innovation. Apple aims to improve the user experience with even more powerful and energy-efficient devices by relying on the latest chip technology. With the up and coming socio-economic developments, it will be interesting to see how TSMC-Apple partnership furthers its lead in reputed long term development of technology.
What are your thoughts on Apple's move to 2nm technology? Do you think it will significantly impact their product lineup in 2025? Share your opinions in the comments below!