According to a fresh rumour from Nikkei Asia, Apple will use TSMC’s advanced 3nm process known as N3E to create its upcoming M3 processor for Macs and its A17 chip for iPhone 15 Pro models in 2019. The manufacturing process will take place in 2019. The products are anticipated to become available during the year 2023.
According to the study, in comparison to TSMC’s first-generation 3nm technology, which was known as N3, N3E will provide greater performance as well as increased power efficiency.
In the meanwhile, the report states that Apple has plans to employ TSMC’s first-generation 3nm technology for at least part of the chips that will be included in the future iPads. It is not clear which iPad models the report is referring to; however, rumours suggest that Apple will update the iPad Pro within the next month with the M2 chip, which is manufactured using TSMC’s second-generation 5nm process. This raises the question of which iPad models the report is referring to. In the latter part of this year, Apple is also likely to release a new iPad with the more mature A14 processor.
According to the information provided in the article, the year 2023 might signal the beginning of a two-year stretch in which only the Pro versions of Apple’s new iPhone lineup include the company’s most recent technology. Apple introduced its iPhone 14 Pro versions with an A16 processor based on TSMC’s 4nm process last week. In contrast, the ordinary iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models are equipped with the A15 chip from the prior generation.
