According to Nikkei Asia, Apple will use an updated version of TSMC’s chip-producing technology in its iPhones and Macs.
The A17 chip currently under development would be produced based on N3E chipmaking technology. It’s expected to be available in Q3 2023. According to Nikkei’s sources, it would be used in high-end iPhone models that would be released in the second half of 2023.
What’s N3E production technology? That’s an updated version of the 3-nanometer process that TSMC started to use this year.
Does this matter? Yes. When talking about nanometer size, it refers to the distance between transistors on the chip. The less size – the less distance – the more transistors on the one chip. That makes them more powerful but more complicated to produce.
Is this production tech already going into the market? It’s already in production but not on the market. The next generation of Apple’s M3 chip is reported to be based on 3-nanometer production technology.
Fresh iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus use the A15 Bionic chip, while Apple A16 powers iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
