2 nm production at TSMC under test: "iPhone 17" will probably get SoC first
Work is apparently starting on the first 2 nm SoCs for Apple in Taiwan. The company TSMC is said to have started test production. It's intended for the iPhone.
Apple Silicon.
(Image: Apple)
After the 3-nanometer process comes the 2-nanometer process: work on the next generation of ARM SoCs has begun at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC). As the South Korean electronics trade journal ET News reports, citing local media, test production of the first units has begun at a plant in Baoshan. Observers had actually expected that this would not be the case before October.
Intended for the iPhone 17
The new SoCs are initially intended for Apple. According to ET News, mass production is planned for next year. TSMC installed the necessary machines in the second quarter. The market had actually expected pilot production to begin in the fourth quarter, but this is now already the case in the third quarter. The new 2 nm process was first presented to Apple and other customers last year. In addition to more transistors and higher overall system performance, it should also result in lower power consumption.
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If mass produced next year, the SoCs could be used in the "A19" SoC for the iPhone 17, which is expected to be released in fall 2025. According to analysts, Apple is said to have secured the initial total capacity. Normally, this means that the company first uses a new SoC in the iPhone and then adapts it for use in iPads and Macs. This year, however, it went the other way round: the iPad Pro M4 was the first tablet to receive a new chip generation. The iPhone 16 (as "A18") and the first Macs (presumably in the fall) are set to follow next.
No performance revolution planned
In the past, the performance increases when switching to a new manufacturing process were rather moderate. The reason for this is that the reduction in structure width only affects the transistors, but not other parts of the SoC. However, thanks to its intensive cooperation with TSMC - Apple is considered its best customer - the iPhone manufacturer is always able to be the first to access new improvements. In addition, the company is in control of its own chip design.
As part of the test production at TSMC, it must now be determined how high the reject rate is. The production technology must be calibrated to ensure that the yield is sufficiently high. Initially, there were difficulties with the 3 nm process and TSMC had to write off slightly less than 50 percent of the chips.
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