- In late 2025, TSMC is likely to start manufacturing 2nm chips and Apple is speculated to be the first one to receive chips built on the new process.
- The iPhone 17 series will be powered by processors built on TSMC's enhanced N3P 3-nanometer chip technology.
- Only some iPhone 18 models in 2026 are expected to arrive with TMSC's 2nm chips.
Apple has just unveiled its iPhone 16 lineup with brand-new & capable A18 and A18 Pro chipsets built on the TMSC’s second-gen 3nm technology. While it’s nice to see Apple offering a new chipset for all the models, many users are waiting for Apple to transition to more advanced 2nm chips. Previously, it was anticipated that Apple would launch next year’s iPhone 17 Pro models with TSMC’s upcoming 2-nanometer process. However, a more recent report points to a different story.
According to the renowned analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 series will be powered by processors built on the TSMC’s enhanced N3P 3-nanometer chip technology. Only some iPhone 18 models in 2026 are expected to arrive with TMSC’s next-generation 2nm processor technology because of cost concerns.
You might wonder if it’s a big deal. Well, it is. For starters, the numbers “3nm” and “2nm” denote generations of chip manufacturing technology, and each of them has its own architecture. As the number decreases, it indicates smaller transistor sizes, which allows more to be packed onto a single chip. This boosts the processing speed and power efficiency of the devices.
Apple adopted 3nm technology for its iPhones and Macs last year. The iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and M3 Macs are based on TSMC’s 3nm chip fabrication process. The latest iPhone 16 models utilize a second-generation 3-nanometer process, which makes them more power-efficient and faster than the iPhone 15 models.
In late 2025, TSMC is likely to start manufacturing 2nm chips and Apple is speculated to be the first one to receive chips built on the new process. The Taiwanese chipmaker is building two new facilities for 2nm chip production and is working on the third one already. This clearly indicated that TMSC has some big plans for its 2nm technology. In 2023, Apple purchased all of TSMC’s initial 3nm chip production for its iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This huge partnership allows Apple to be the first one to integrate cutting-edge semiconductor technology into its products, so it can stay ahead of its competitors.
Since the 2nm chip production is slated for late 2025, TMSC will surely introduce several improvements in its 2mn fabrication process. The N3E and N3P chips, based on the enhanced 3nm processes are available, and several others like N3X for high-performance computing and N3AE for automotive apps are already in the works.
It’s worth knowing that while the iPhone 18 will be the first to arrive with 2mn chips, not the entire lineup will feature a 2nm A-series SoC because it will be an expensive affair. We can expect the iPhone 18 Pro models to feature the upcoming 2mn chips, whereas the vanilla models will utilize processors built on an advanced 3nm technology.
