Apple Gears Up for Next-Gen 2nm Chips with TSMC, Eyes 2025 Mass Production

The processors that will utilize TSMC's next-generation 2-nanometer fabrication process are already in the design stages at Apple, according to information purportedly obtained from an Apple employee on LinkedIn.

Apple's Leap into the Future: From 5nm to 2nm Chip Designs Unveiled by Leaker

The leaker Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) initially obtained the information from the Korean website gamma0burst and subsequently shared it on X (Twitter). The slide is heavily redacted but purportedly lists the employee's previous and ongoing initiatives at Apple.

An unredacted segment of the slide bears the inscriptions "TS5nm, TS3nm, and working on TS2nm," presumed to denote Apple's various fabrication methodologies in the past, present, and forthcoming processors. Definitions such as "2nm" and "3nm" pertain to the design and architecture regulations that TSMC enforces for a line of integrated circuits. As a result of reduced node size, a more significant number of transistors can be accommodated on a processor, resulting in increased performance and improved power efficiency.

MacRumors have circulated that TSMC has commenced the development of more sophisticated 1.4-nanometer processors, with an anticipated release date of 2027. It has been reported that Apple intends to secure TSMC's initial manufacturing capabilities for technologies measuring 1.4nm and 1nm. To give an idea of the nanometer scale, the width of a single strand of human hair is between 80,000 and 100,000nm.

Apple Sets Sights on TSMC's 2nm Chips for 2025, Aiming for Major Efficiency Gains

Apple implemented 3nm processors in its iPhones and Macs last year, an improvement over the previous 5nm mode. The transition to 3nm technology enhanced the performance of the GPU by 20%, the CPU by 10%, and the Neural Engine by a factor of two; Macs received comparable enhancements.

It is anticipated that Apple will be the initial recipient of processors manufactured using TSMC's forthcoming 2nm process, slated to enter mass production during the latter part of 2025. The 2nm manufacturing process, commonly referred to as "N2," is anticipated to result in a power reduction of 25 to 30 percent at the same speed or an increase in speed of 10 to 15 percent while maintaining the same power, in contrast to processors manufactured using the supplier's 3nm technology.

To manufacture 2nm chips, TSMC is constructing two additional facilities and awaiting approval for a third. The Taiwanese manufacturing behemoth is investing billions in the transition, and Apple will need to modify the design of its chips to accommodate the new technology. As TSMC's primary client, Apple obtains the company's latest processors first. In 2023, Apple acquired every 3-nanometer semiconductor manufactured by TSMC for use in iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

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