With TSMC rushing to develop its 3nm process, Apple is apparently going to be the first to contract the company’s initial production capacity. This arrives as the iPhone maker is shifting towards its proprietary chip designs for its Mac series of laptops as well.
For those unaware, TSMC has been working on its 3nm process for a while now, with trial production expected to start sometime during the latter half of 2021. Furthermore, the world’s largest contract chipmaker is expected to begin mass production in the year 2022. The 3nm process is the successor to the latest 5nm process, which is used for most flagship chips on smartphones at the moment, including the Apple A14 Bionic chipset found within the latest iPhone 12 series.
According to the UDN report, the Cupertino based giant is the first to contract TSMC’s advanced manufacturing 3nm process. While the news hasn’t been confirmed by TSMC right now, sources from the chipmaker’s supply chain stated that the 3nm and 4nm trial production preparations are already progressing smoothly. Furthermore, the 3nm process is on schedule and moving toward its 600,000 annual production capacity and a monthly capacity of over 50,000 units.
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TSMC moving towards the 3nm process is highly beneficial to Apple as well, considering it is moving to include its entire electronic product portfolio to self designed chips. The iPhone maker will be the first customer of the initial 3nm process batch, while it will also move its Mac and iPad lineup towards its newly released M series chips. The new process will also be used for the company’s A series chips as well.
Similar to TSMC, Samsung is also working to develop its 3nm process. Unlike TSMC with its FinFET structure, Samsung uses the GAA structure. However, with the current pace, it seems that the Taiwanese chipmaker is currently in the lead, especially after securing Apple as an early customer. That’s all we know, for now, so stay tuned for more updates.
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