TSMC plans to start commercial production of 3nm process chips in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to a supply chain update.
Apple is expected to launch its first electronics with TSMC’s 3nm chips in 2023, including macs with M3 chips and iPhone 15 series smartphones with A17 chips. The chips are more advanced in manufacturing process and will give future Macs and iphones faster processing speeds and longer battery life.
Apple has previously been rumored to be working with contract chipmaking partner TSMC, which is piloting the 3nm process, also known as N3. Apple’s first 3nm chip could come in 2023, including the A17 chip for the iPhone 15 and the M3 series chip for the Mac. Of course, these names are just predictions and it’s not clear if they’ll be final.
Currently, the M1 chip is an 8-core design, while the M1 Pro and M1 Max are 10-core designs. Both the M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max are single-die designs. Rumor has it that the M3 will have a 4 die design with a maximum 40 core CPU.
Finally, The A16 and M2 chips using TSMC’s 4nm technology, also known as N4, are likely to appear in next year’s iPhone 14 and Mac products.