Apple Books 90% of TSMC's 3nm Process for Future Devices

May 15th, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes, Apple has already reserved nearly 90% of the first-generation 3-nanometer process capacity from chip supplier TSMC for future iPhone, Mac, and iPad production.

The upcoming iPhone 15 Pro series is expected to feature the A17 Bionic processor, which will be Apple's first iPhone chip based on TSMC's first-generation 3-nanometer process, also known as N3B. It is reported that the 3-nanometer technology offers a 35% improvement in energy efficiency and a 15% performance boost compared to the 4-nanometer process used in the manufacturing of the A16 Bionic chip for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.

The M3 chip, utilizing the 3-nanometer process, is also expected to be used in Apple's Mac and iPad devices. The initial devices to incorporate the M3 chip are likely to include the new 13-inch MacBook Air and 24-inch iMac, which may be unveiled later this year. The upcoming iPad Pro models in 2024 may also adopt the M3 chip. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, set to be released in 2024, will use the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.

According to a developer log obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is currently testing a new chip with a 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 36GB of memory. This chip is likely to be the baseline version of the M3 Pro chip for the next generation of 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, expected to be launched next year.

In addition, TSMC is reportedly developing a more advanced 3-nanometer process called N3E. Apple devices are expected to transition to the N3E process, which is set to begin commercial production in the second half of 2023, with increased shipment volume anticipated in 2024.