TSMC will start mass production of 2nm chips in 2025, with Apple and Intel among the first clients said to use the latest semiconductor technology.
- TSMC has set a timetable to move its 2nm process to production in 2025
- TSMC’s 3nm process with improved yield rates is coming later this year
- Apple and Intel are among the first clients to adopt both nodes
2nm Apple silicon chips may arrive in 2025
Apple’s chip foundry TSMC will start mass production of 2nm chips in 2025, with Apple and Intel among the first clients to use the latest semiconductor technology, according to a report from Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes:
TSMC has set a timetable to move its 2nm GAA process to production in 2025 while commercializing its 3nm FInFET process with improved yield rates in the second half of 2022, with Apple and Intel among the first clients to adopt both nodes, further consolidating its dominance in the advanced foundry sector, according to industry sources.
The Apple M1 chip, along with its offspring the M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra, is fabbed on TSMC’s FInFET 5nm process. The A13 Bionic chip in the iPhone 13 line is also built on the same 5nm process as the M1.
The next iPad Pro may debut Apple’s 3nm chip
TSMC is also expected, according to the story, to kick off volume production of 3nm chips in the second half of 2022. Apple is among TSMC’s top clients and these 3nm chips that TSMC will start churning out in the second half of this year could appear in the next iPad Pro this fall. The current model uses the M1 chip. Now, TSMC claims that the 3nm process technology delivers a 10-15 percent increase in CPU performance compared to the 5nm process whilst bringing power consumption down by 25-30 percent. Read: Mac feeling slow? Try this simple fix right now!
Apple’s iPad will likely be the first devices powered by processors made using 3nm technology, sources said. The next generation of iPhones, which are to roll out next year, are expected to make use of the intermediate 4nm tech for scheduling reasons.
So it looks like Apple this year could move to 4nm chips for the iPhone 14 family (Apple A16 Bionic) and 3nm ones for the next iPad Pro (Apple M2). And come 2025, we should be seeing the first Mac, iPad and iPhone models powered by 2nm chips.