TSMC Details Potential iPhone 12 A14 Performance and Upcoming 3nm Process

Apple chipmaker TSMC has set out the potential performance and power efficiency of the upcoming iPhone 12's A14 chip, according to a report by AnandTech.

tsmc semiconductor chip inspection 678x452

The ‌iPhone‌ 12 is expected to contain an A14 chip, based on TSMC's smaller 5nm manufacturing process. The ‌iPhone‌ 11's A13 chip used a 7nm process by comparison.

Manufacturing chips using this smaller process offers a number of advantages, including a reduction in power consumption of up to 30 percent, and up to 15 percent increased performance. This indicates what kind of improvements may come to the A14 chip in the ‌iPhone‌ 12.

There is a tradeoff when selecting one or the other, but Apple tends to prioritize performance improvements over power consumption. When reducing the size of the manufacturing process for a new generation of chips, power consumption and performance improvements are slightly lower.

Last year, TSMC announced a $25 billion investment in the new 5nm node technology in a bid to remain the exclusive supplier of Apple's processors. TSMC has reportedly been in mass production of chips using the 5nm process for several months now, and the process is also expected to be used for Apple Silicon chips coming to the Mac before the end of this year.

In addition to the 5nm process for 2020, TSMC outlined its plans for a 3nm process coming in late 2022. This would likely be used for a potential A16 chip and other future ‌Apple Silicon‌ if the company follows previous years, but it is understandably difficult to speculate on Apple's manufacturing plans so far ahead. The ‌3nm‌ process yields similar 30 percent and 15 percent power consumption and performance improvements over the 5nm process.

It is worth noting that regardless of the performance of TSMC's chips, Apple usually optimizes its software for further performance improvements. It is also possible that Apple could significantly prioritize power consumption over performance for improved battery life. These decisions belong to Apple regardless of TSMC's manufacturing process, making the exact behavior of the A14 chip somewhat uncertain until official announcement.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

LiE_ Avatar
64 months ago
Intel has left the chat
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jav6454 Avatar
64 months ago
We are about to hit the atomic limit of process nodes.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
satchmo Avatar
64 months ago
What happens when they run out of nm's?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nicho Avatar
64 months ago

It’s gibberish.
I think it's supposed to suggest that performance and power consumption gains are becoming less pronounced at each new stage.


https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/devices/another-step-toward-the-end-of-moores-law
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iReality85 Avatar
64 months ago

We are about to hit the atomic limit of process nodes.

Nope. They told me that in 1992, too. :)

0.2 nm or so for silicon, yes? Got a ways to go. And, of course, the process node “size” has very little to do with the actual size of actual devices. I don’t think I ever used a minimum length transistor.
Conceivably, if nodes keep being reduced by roughly 1/2 for the next decade, we'll enter the atomic range soon:

2019: 5nm

2022: 3nm

2025? 1nm - 1.5nm?

Then we enter picometers.

2030? 500pm - 750pm? (.5nm - .75nm)

Depending on the atom, that's anywhere from 50pm - 500pm in size. Basically, silicon's days will be numbered once we reach the 2030s.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
64 months ago

I don't understand this statement in the third sentence. In two other places it says smaller = faster and more efficient...so what's up with this part? "When reducing the size of the manufacturing process, power consumption and performance improvements face a slight reduction."
It’s gibberish.

It’s also not true that smaller necessarily means faster and more efficient, but that’s just me being pedantic.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)