According to reports, TSMC plans to start production in late 2025.
Over the course of quite some time, Apple and TSMC have been inseparable from one another. Apple, which is the company’s most important client, is the only business that is always daring enough (and wealthy enough) to be the first in line whenever the company launches a brand-new fabrication node. According to reports, Apple is already entering into conversations with TSMC over their next-generation 2nm technology, which means that this pattern will continue in 2025.
At the moment, Apple is the only business that is already shipping products that were manufactured using TSMC’s most advanced node, which is 3nm. It made headlines in 2023 when it purchased all of TSMC’s 3nm output for the year, which is a luxury that very few businesses can afford because yields are always poor until manufacturing problems can be overcome. They made this purchase. According to reports, Apple was not required to pay for chips that were damaged. However, because of the size of Apple’s account, TSMC only allows Apple to have such ability. This means that other businesses often have to wait in queue behind Apple.
It has been reported by DigiTimes that Apple and TSMC are already making preparations for the future. This is because it is anticipated that the manufacturing of 2nm will begin the following year, and Apple is anticipated to be the first in line once again. However, it is not certain whether TSMC will be able to meet that target, which may cause some difficulties for Apple’s ambitions to launch the iPhone, Mac, and iPad. Despite the fact that Apple users are accustomed to seeing a new M-class and A-class processor every year on a new node, it appears that the M4 and A18 Pro will be required to use a second-generation 3nm process for the products that will be launched in 2024. According to Macrumors, TSMC will be putting into production many additional varieties of 3nm this year. These variants include N3E, N3P, and eventually N3X, which is designed for high-performance computing.
It will be necessary for us to wait and see if TSMC is able to meet its launch targets. Because 2nm will be manufactured using gate-all-around (GAA) nanosheet transistors and will eventually incorporate backside power supply, the transition to 2nm will be a significant occurrence for the company. This is because it will be the first time that the company will move beyond the FinFET technology. The business started conducting research on this node in the year 2020, and they want to launch it the following year alongside 3nm manufacturing. However, there have been rumours that it will be delayed until the year 2026. Regardless, Apple will continue to employ 3nm for its products to be manufactured in 2024 since it will have no other option than to do so.
In the near future, Intel is anticipated to surpass TSMC with its 2nm 20A technology, which is scheduled to be released later this year. In the event that this occurs, it would at the very least make it possible for Apple to hypothetically consider switching foundries in order to gain access to the most sophisticated nodes that are now available. Intel is claiming that it is ready to deliver on its roadmap, despite the fact that we are aware that this may appear to be an unattainable goal. Intel appears to be determined to reclaim the top position in the process sphere.