Apple is expected to use TSMC's base 2-nanometer N2 process rather than the newer N2P variant for its upcoming A20 and M6 chips, according to the China Times.


Apple is rumored to launch the A20 chip with new iPhone models in the fall, and the M6 family of Apple silicon chips in redesigned MacBook Pro models featuring OLED displays later this year. The latest report claims that the company will not move to TSMC's most advanced 2-nanometer manufacturing variant for these chip generations.

TSMC's 2-nanometer family marks the company's transition from FinFET transistors to gate-all-around technology, which is intended to improve power efficiency and performance scaling as chip densities increase. TSMC previously said that its base N2 process will enter mass production in 2026, followed by enhanced variants including N2P and A16 in the second half of the year. This may not be enough time for Apple to introduce chips made with the newer technology to its devices.

N2P is positioned as a higher-performance version of N2, while A16 is designed for high-power and high-complexity chips, particularly for AI applications and data centers. The performance difference between N2 and N2P is expected to be modest. N2P offers roughly a 5% performance gain at the same power level, but comes at a higher manufacturing cost, which helps explain why Apple is expected to remain on N2 for its A- and M-series chips this year.

Competitors including Qualcomm and MediaTek are expected to adopt N2P for their flagship mobile chips in order to reach higher peak clock speeds. TSMC apparently expects the 2-nanometer generation to have a long lifecycle and potentially scale beyond its 3-nanometer family. Companies including AMD, Google, and Amazon are expected to adopt 2-nanometer processes for future CPUs, GPUs, and AI chips.

Supply availability is also thought to be a factor. Demand for 2-nanometer manufacturing has apparently exceeded expectations, with much of the initial N2 capacity already reserved by leading customers such as Apple. This early capacity allocation reduces the need for Apple to move to N2P simply to secure production volume for future A-series and M-series chips.
This article, "Apple Seemingly Avoiding Latest Chip Tech for New iPhones and Macs" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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