Samsung loses bid, TSMC to Debut Apple’s 2nm and 1.4nm Chips
Previously, the President of TSMC, Wei Zhejia, emphasized that TSMC’s 2-nanometer process technology will be launched as scheduled in the second half of 2025. This indicates that prior to this, the most advanced chips in the market will be produced using the 3-nanometer process. As for who will be the first to obtain the 2-nanometer process, the answer isn’t difficult to guess—it’s Apple, which has always been the first to adopt TSMC’s latest process technology.
According to the report by the foreign media outlet Wccftech, Apple’s iPhone, Mac, iPad, and other devices will be the first users of TSMC’s 2-nanometer process. Apple will use TSMC’s 2-nanometer process technology to enhance chip performance and reduce power consumption. This will also result in longer battery life for future Apple products, such as the iPhone and MacBook.
Currently, Apple’s chips designed for products like the MacBook, iPad, and iPad Pro are produced using TSMC’s 3-nanometer process technology. In 2023, the company announced the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips for the new MacBook Pro models. Additionally, TSMC’s 3-nanometer process chips are also used to create the A17 Pro chip for the iPhone 15 Pro. Many tests have shown performance improvements in these two products compared to their predecessors. Therefore, it can be inferred that chips produced using TSMC’s 2-nanometer process technology will further provide an excellent combination.
From a performance standpoint, Apple’s chips are currently transitioning from the 5-nanometer process to the 3-nanometer process, bringing a 10% improvement in CPU performance and a 20% increase in GPU performance. TSMC is currently working on actively planning the capacity for the future 2-nanometer process through the construction of two new factories. Furthermore, TSMC will also use new technology based on the GAAFET architecture instead of the traditional FinFET architecture. Despite making the production process more complex, this new architecture will bring the advantages of smaller transistor sizes and lower power consumption.
The report further indicates that it is expected that Apple will use the 2-nanometer process technology in the production of chips for the iPhone 17 in 2025. Additionally, the same technology will be applied to the production of the M-series chips for Mac. As TSMC is also quietly developing 1.4-nanometer process technology, which is expected to be released in 2027. This means that, similar to the 2-nanometer process technology, Apple may be the first company to obtain the latest process technology from TSMC for chip production.
(Image source: TechNews Photo)