Historic date for Apple: Thursday, December 29, 2022. A new milestone in the manufacture of components for its technological devices. Chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TMSC), and the tech giant’s main supplier, it will start producing 3-nanometer M2 Pro chips tomorrow from its factory in Taiwan.
These 3 nanometer chips can reach improve performance more than 20% compared to the usual 5 nanometers. In addition, they are capable of reducing energy consumption by up to 45% and their technology allows the chip area to be reduced by 16%.
Announced by 9to5Mac, the M2 Pro and Max chips are expected to be the first to be produced with 3-nanometer technology in Apple products. It should be remembered that TSMC currently uses 4nm chips for the production of the A16 Bionic processor of the iPhone 14 Pro.
It is a blow on the table of TMSC that until today was absorbed in the production of processors, yes, but of 5 nanometers, not 3. Tomorrow it will begin to produce them in mass, so it will help to lighten the production of the iPhone and avoid any supply problem worldwide, avoiding the bad forecasts published in recent months.
This technology will become the technology that TSMC will provide the most for commercial production. And furthermore, it will mass produce the N3E process within the next year, based on 3nm technology producing these more efficient chips and with a higher rate of return.
Going for 2nm chips
But the thing does not end there. TSMC wants to go further. And if 2023 will be the year of mass production of 3nm chips -it should be noted that it was Samsung who in the middle of this year became the first company to start the production of 3nm chips-, it could also be the year of the 2 nanometers. Since the company will open a factory for its development in the Taiwanese city of Hsinchu and whose mass production could be ready in 2025.
Despite this news Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, continues with its initial plan to expand its supply to Apple from plants located in Europe, one of them located in Germany. Whose government would already be in talks with TSMC to build a component factory. Also in Arizona, in the United States, where Apple expects to stock up on semiconductors manufactured in a plant in this American state from 2024.
