Apple Silicon's Next Big Upgrade Could Arrive in 2026
Apple could upgrade to considerably more advanced 2-nanometer chip fabrication technology as soon as 2026, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a recent post on Medium, Kuo explained that Apple will likely begin to use TSMC's 2-nanometer chip fabrication technology to produce iPhone chips as early as 2026. The iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip is the industry's first 3-nanometer chip, sporting performance and efficiency improvements thanks to its increased transistor density.
If so, this would mirror its use of the 5-nanometer node through the A14, A15, and A16 Bionic chips from 2020 to 2022, where the technology persisted for three years through successive chip generations. The 2026 timeframe would also presumably mean the 3-nanometer node persists for three years through the A17 Pro, "A18," and "A19" from 2023 to 2025.
Like 3-nanometer, 2-nanometer further reduces the smallest possible dimension used in chip manufacturing and increases transistor density, resulting in improved performance and efficiency.
According to Kuo, TSMC is strengthening its vertical integration capabilities with chip designer ARM in an effort to ensure a smooth transition from the current 3-nanometer technology to the next-generation 2-nanometer process. Apple and Nvidia are expected to be among the first clients to place orders for 2-nanometer chips.
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Top Rated Comments
I don't know how everyone else felt?
But to me the A17 pro announcement felt rather flat as if Apple themselves weren't quite as excited about this chip as we all expected them to be.
- https://www.imec-int.com/en/articles/smaller-better-faster-imec-presents-chip-scaling-roadmap
- https://www.tomshardware.com/news/imec-reveals-sub-1nm-transistor-roadmap-3d-stacked-cmos-20-plans
Based on 3nm (N3) deliverables assume the die shrink to apply to the iPhone chip a year later.