Trial Production of Apple's Next-Gen Chip Technology to Begin Next Week

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.

apple silicon feature joeblue
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

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...
vision air cable

Images of Apple 'Vision Air' Power Cable Emerge Online

Thursday April 17, 2025 5:55 am PDT by
More images of a redesigned power cable allegedly for a future Apple "Vision Air" headset were today shared online by the prototype collector and leaker known as "Kosutami." Yesterday, the leaker explained that the Apple "Vision Air" will feature a thinner design and switch the battery enclosure and several of its internal structures to titanium to reduce the device's overall weight. Most of ...

Top Rated Comments

gusping Avatar
10 months ago
Can’t wait for the M5 iPad Pro…
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J InTech82 Avatar
10 months ago

I can't wait for the M7 iPad Pro
I’m still waiting for the PowerBook G5! Any day now… :rolleyes:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
10 months ago
For those who blather on about planned obsolescence, get a clue. Obsolescence is part of the evolution of technology. I’m sure the new Apple Silicon will provide the ability for new features and functions that older hardware can’t support. So when new hardware is released that surpasses the old don’t start ragging about how Apple is doing this on purpose to “force” you to buy new gear. It ain’t so.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidSchaub Avatar
10 months ago

Intel already moved to Angstrom terminology, and, “2 nm” is much more of a marketing term nowadays bs real “measurement”… shrinking will continue…
Well, Angstrom is just the same kind of marketing term; though Intel actual density increases may not match the 1.8nm and 1.4nm increased density that 18Angstrom and 14Angstrom implies.

Time will tell.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
10 months ago
Everybody just keep buying stuff
We promise, full pinky swear, there is finally -- really this time! -- some innovation coming!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thewill586 Avatar
10 months ago

For those who blather on about planned obsolescence, get a clue. Obsolescence is part of the evolution of technology. I’m sure the new Apple Silicon will provide the ability for new features and functions that older hardware can’t support. So when new hardware is released that surpasses the old don’t start ragging about how Apple is doing this on purpose to “force” you to buy new gear. It ain’t so.
AI has a high battery power draw. better chips are needed
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)