3 nanometer chip production is about to begin at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. This is important news for Apple, as TSMC makes the CPUs for Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc.
Apple is expected to use 3nm processors in products launching in 2023, making the devices faster and more efficient.
3nm Apple processors: Better late than never
Apple designs the CPUs for its computers but they are produced by TSMC. And the Taiwanese company has been able to shrink the components of Apple’s chips every year or two, allowing them to work faster while generating less waste heat.
The previous generations of iPhone and Mac processors were made with a 5nm process. Chips made with a 3nm process were supposed to be one of the high points of Apple devices in 2022. Nope. TSMC couldn’t iron out the bugs of production in time for the M2 or the A16.
The wait is finally over. “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,” reports Digitimes.
Exactly when it’ll begin making Apple chips with the new process is unknown. An earlier (possibly optimistic) report from Digitimes indicated that the M2 Pro will be a 3nm chip. That processor is expected to debut in a refreshed MacBook Pro near the end of Q1 2023.
If that doesn’t pan out, the A17 processor for next year’s iPhone almost certainly will use the faster, more efficient tech. And the future M3 Mac/iPad chip surely will, too.
