This week, TSMC, Apple’s key chip supplier, will begin mass-producing 3nm chips. The tech giant is the main user of the new chips, which might first be applied to future M2 Pro processors that are anticipated to power upgraded MacBook Pro and Mac mini models.
How will that be a game changer for Apple, and what to expect?
Apple’s 3nm Chipsets in Development Starting This Week
Following past predictions that stated 3nm mass production would finally start later in 2022, the latest report by DigiTimes claims that TSMC would begin mass production of their next-generation 3nm chip technology this Thursday, December 29.
Check out below an extract from the recent report:
TSMC is scheduled to hold a ceremony at Fab 18 at the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) on December 29 to mark the start of commercial production of chips using 3nm process technology. The pure-play foundry will also detail plans to expand 3nm chip production at the fab, according to sources at semiconductor equipment companies.
Such news is no surprise because Apple has consistently outperformed its rivals. TSMC’s 3nm chip will power the M2-powered MacBook Pro series, and it will definitely become a real game changer!
The A16 Bionic processor in the iPhone 14 Pro series is presently manufactured by Apple using TSMC’s 4nm technology, although the company may switch to 3nm as early as next year.
Moreover, based on a previous report, the future sleek M2 Pro chips would be actually the first to use the 3nm manufacturing process.
And there’s more.
Early next year, revised 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are anticipated to be the first to have the M2 Pro processor, along with perhaps upgraded Mac Studio and Mac mini variants. Quite impressive, isn’t it?!
The best thing, though, is that the upgraded 3nm process from TSMC will form the foundation for Apple’s third-generation silicon, including the much-awaited M3 chip and, of course, the A17 Bionic for the iPhone 15.