Apple has been working on transitioning its Mac devices to its own Apple Silicon — the process which the technology giant started last year with its M1 chipset. The company has been using its own chips for smartphones.
Currently, the devices powered by Apple’s own chipset are manufactured using the 5nm process by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, widely known as TSMC. But it seems that the technology is about to get upgraded in the coming year.
As per the latest report by DigiTimes (via MacRumors), Apple’s iPhones and Mac devices getting launched next year could come powered by a chipset that is built using the 3nm process. TSMC is set to start mass production of 3nm chips in the second half of 2022 and thus Apple’s devices powered by the new chips could launch the same year.
While we have heard about TSMC starting production of 3nm chips in 2022 and brands like Apple and Intel among the first beneficiaries, this is the first time we are hearing about the upcoming 3nm processor powering the iPhones and Macs launching in 2022.
Earlier, it was reported that Apple has already booked TSMC’s entire production capacity for the 4nm chips for MacBooks powered by the Apple Silicon. However, there’s no information available about its timeline.
Compared to the current 5nm process, the new 3nm process should reduce power consumption by 30 percent and increase performance by 15 percent. TSMC, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of chips, will begin production of 3nm chips with a capacity to process 30,000 wafers. The company will expand production capacity to 55,000 units in 2022 and within a year after that, it plans to expand to 105,000 units a month.
Apple’s A14 Bionic chipset is manufactured using a 5nm process and the next-generation A15 SoC will be manufactured using the 5nm+ or NP5 process. It is basically a performance-enhanced process of 5nm node which also brings power efficiency. It is reported that TSMC has allocated most of its resources for Apple’s orders.
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