Following the release of the exclusive 3nm A17 Pro chip for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, TSMC continues to favor Apple as the first customer to receive the new 2nm semiconductor chips by the end of 2025.
Advantages of the 2nm semiconductor chip
According to TSMC, the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer, “The 2nm semiconductor chip offers a speed increase of over 10% – 15% and consumes 25% – 30% less energy compared to the 3nm chip, while maintaining the same processing power.”
As the process nodes get smaller (nanometer size), the size of the semiconductor balls on the chip also decreases. This results in a higher density of semiconductor balls inside the chip, making the chip more powerful and energy-efficient.
In the production of the 2nm semiconductor chip, TSMC employs a multi-gate/Gate-All-Around (GAA) semiconductor ball architecture and nanosheets. To be more specific, GAA is an advanced technology that improves performance, reduces chip size, and lowers power consumption compared to the current FinFET technology. This reduces electronic leakage and increases the movement of electronic currents.
Apple – The “Priority Customer” of TSMC
According to DigiTimes, Apple is currently the world’s leading and only smartphone manufacturer to use 3nm semiconductor chips. They are also set to be the pioneering user of chips manufactured using the 2nm process node supplied by TSMC. This is expected to take place in the second half of 2025.
In late 2023, TSMC conducted tests on approximately 1,000 semiconductor chips using the 2nm process node and presented those samples to Apple, with the hope that the trial will help them identify and address issues as early as possible.
After the 2nm process semiconductor chip, TSMC plans further development of the 1.4nm process node by 2027. Currently, TSMC is preparing for the build of three modern factories, meeting the 2nm chip production standards, fulfilling Apple’s orders, and maintaining its global semiconductor market position.
Additionally, Apple is actively working to secure manufacturing capacity for both the 1.4nm and 1nm process node semiconductor chips in the near future. This indicates that Apple will continue to be the favored key customer of TSMC. Both parties have concrete plans and actions for the future development.