Reviews that subsequent yr’s iPhone 17 will undertake TSMC’s next-generation 2nm course of are “fake news,” a good supply of correct predictions about Apple’s plans claimed on Monday.
In keeping with a submit by Weibo person “Phone Chip Expert,” the 2nm course of will not go into mass manufacturing till the top of 2025. The account holder, who claims to have 25 years of expertise within the built-in circuit business, together with work on Intel’s Pentium processors, suggests the iPhone 17 will subsequently nonetheless use TSMC’s 3nm course of.
“The 2nm process won’t be mass-produced until the end of 2025, so the iPhone 17 definitely can’t catch up,” learn a machine translation of Telephone Chip Professional’s submit. “It won’t be until the iPhone 18 that a 2nm processor will be used.”
“Anyone who has seen the capacity planning chart will know that this is yet another report from an unscrupulous media outlet,” added the person, commenting on an article by Zhitong Finance that repeated claims not too long ago made by Taiwanese newspapers primarily based on “industry sources.”
TSMC plans to start mass manufacturing of 2nm chips subsequent yr and it was believed that the corporate had been accelerating the method to safe a steady yield earlier than mass manufacturing. Apple is TSMC’s primary shopper, and it’s sometimes the primary to get TSMC’s new chips. Apple acquired all of TSMC’s 3nm chips in 2023 for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, for instance.
The 2nm fabrication course of, additionally recognized merely as “N2,” is anticipated to supply a ten to fifteen p.c velocity enchancment on the similar energy or a 25 to 30 p.c energy discount on the similar velocity in comparison with chips made with the provider’s 3nm expertise. The A17 Professional chip in Apple’s iPhone 15 Professional fashions is manufactured with TSMC’s first-generation 3nm course of, generally known as N3B. Apple’s M4 chip, which not too long ago debuted within the new iPad Professional, makes use of an enhanced model of this 3nm expertise.
Code in iOS 18 has confirmed that every one 4 iPhone 16 fashions are set to make use of Apple’s next-generation A18 chip, primarily based on TSMC’s N3E course of. N3E is TSMC’s second-generation 3nm chip fabrication course of, which is inexpensive and has improved yield in comparison with TSMC’s first-generation 3nm course of.
The Weibo person contesting claims that 2nm can be prepared for the iPhone 17 has a observe report of correct predictions. Telephone Chip Professional beforehand mentioned that the iPhone 7 can be water resistant and that the usual iPhone 14 fashions would proceed to make use of the A15 Bionic chip, whereas the extra superior A16 chip can be unique to the iPhone 14 Professional fashions. These forecasts had been later confirmed by a number of credible sources and had been confirmed right when the merchandise had been launched.
Extra not too long ago, Telephone Chip Professional was the primary supply of details about Apple growing its personal AI server processor utilizing TSMC’s 3nm course of, focusing on mass manufacturing by the second half of 2025.