Apple chipmaker TSMC will begin test production of 2nm chips next week ahead of plans to bring the technology to Apple silicon next year, ET News reports.


The trial production run will occur at TSMC’s Baoshan plant in northern Taiwan. Equipment designed for 2nm chip production was brought to the facility in the second quarter of this year. Apple is expected to move its custom silicon to the 2nm process in 2025.

The iPhone 15 Pro is powered by the A17 Pro chip, which is manufactured with TSMC’s 3nm process. This process allows for more transistors to be packed into a smaller space, delivering improvements in performance and efficiency. Apple’s M4 chip, which recently debuted in the new iPad Pro, uses an enhanced version of this ‌‌‌3nm‌‌‌ technology. The transition to 2nm chips should bring further improvements, with projected performance gains of 10 to 15 percent and power consumption reductions of up to 30 percent compared to the ‌‌‌3nm‌‌‌ process.

TSMC plans to begin mass production of 2nm chips next year and it is believed that the company has been accelerating the process to secure a stable yield before mass production. TSMC remains the only company capable of manufacturing 2nm and ‌‌3nm‌‌ chips at the scale and quality Apple requires. For its ‌‌‌3nm‌‌‌ chips, Apple booked all of TSMC’s available chipmaking capacity, and the chipmaker plans to triple its production capacity for the node by the end of the year to meet soaring demand. 2nm chips could first appear in 2025’s iPhone 17 lineup.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 ‘Slim’: Everything We Know So Far

In 2025, Apple is expected to discontinue the iPhone “Plus” device in its iPhone 17 lineup to make way for an iPhone “Slim” – although it may not actually be called this when it debuts in the fall of next year. Even though the iPhone 16 series launch is still over two months away, when you consider that we learned about larger displays on the iPhone 16 Pro models way back in May 2023, rumors…

Apple Leak Confirms Four iPhone 16 Models With Same A18 Chip

Code discovered in Apple’s backend by Nicolás Alvarez and shared with MacRumors confirms Apple’s plans to release four iPhone 16 models this year, and it indicates that the devices will all have the same A-series chip. There are mentions of new model numbers that are not associated with existing iPhones, and that have the numbering scheme Apple uses for its flagship devices. The code…

Best Buy Takes Up to $500 Off M3 MacBook Pro in New Sale

Best Buy this weekend is offering a big selection of discounts on Apple’s late 2023 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, with up to $500 off select models. These deals are available to all shoppers and do not require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps…

Leak Confirms Apple’s Work On ‘Home Accessory’

Code discovered on Apple’s backend by MacRumors confirms Apple is indeed working on a long-rumored home accessory in addition to the HomePod and Apple TV. The code references a device with the identifier “HomeAccessory17,1,” which is a new identifier category. The name is similar to the HomePod’s “AudioAccessory” identifier. Interestingly, the 17,1 in the identifier name suggests that…