At the September press conference, Apple released the new iPhone 15 Pro model equipped with the new A17 Pro chip. Although the standard model still uses the A16Bionic chip, the A17Pro is based on TSMC's 3nm process, which is superior to previous chips in terms of performance and efficiency. Although it's early days, the company has already begun developing the next generation of Apple chips for the iPhone and Mac lines. According to the latest reports, TSMC showed off its new 2-nanometer chip to Apple, which will be mass-produced in 2025.
Shortly after the A17Pro debut, Apple released the M3 series of chips for Mac, also based on TSMC's 3nm process. We've seen various tests of the load performance of these chips, and the results have been surprising. A new report published this week by the Financial Times highlights Apple's plans for custom chips. TSMC’s 2nm chips will first be used in the iPhone 17 Pro model in 2025.
Apple is TSMC's largest customer because it produces custom chips for iPhones and Macs. The iPhone maker bought TSMC's entire 3-nanometer chip supply in 2023, allowing the company to offer the technology before any rivals. The supplier will begin mass production of 2nm chips in 2025, and the iPhone 17 will be the first device to benefit from the latest upgrade.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which dominates the global processor market, has shown process test results of its "N2" (or 2 nanometer) prototype to some big customers including Apple and NVIDIA, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
TSMC confirmed to the Financial Times that the company is conducting trial production of its 2nm process and will mass produce it in 2025. The company also said it is making progress and will achieve mass production by the deadline. Additionally, this will be "the most advanced semiconductor technology in the industry" in terms of transistor density and power consumption.
As mentioned earlier, TSMC’s mass production schedule for launching 2-nanometer chips is consistent with Apple’s launch of iPhone 17 Pro. Apple will use the same technology to develop M-series chips for Macs. It should be noted that these are just speculations at this stage, and the new chips may experience varying degrees of delays depending on the production challenges faced by TSMC. 2nm chips will bring significant performance improvements and be more efficient.