At the moment, TSMC is almost ready to put into production the 3mm SoC for Apple's new iPhone 15 Series. In addition, this manufacturer has also prepared for its new 2nm process right in 2025. Some current sources say that TSMC will switch to the new and more complex GAAFET chip manufacturing technology for the 2nm process. Apple is said to have begun prepping its test device for the Apple A18 processor that will use the new approach. The 2nm Apple A18 chip is said to be used in the iPhone 17 Series.
Apple will begin gradually replacing chip testing equipment at its TSMC cast wafer research facilities to be ready with 2nm production in time for the iPhone 17 series in 2025 – Taiwanese media reports . Next year, the Apple A17 SoC will be manufactured on TSMC's 3nm process. If the above information is correct, perhaps Apple will keep this process for at least 2 years on the iPhone to ensure that the new 2nm process will be stable. While Samsung has already started making 3nm chips with full-blown gate transistor technology (GAAFET), TSMC will keep the FinFET process more established for its 3nm chips. And just switch to the more complex GAAFET method for the 2nm process. Apple wants to prepare test equipment on time to avoid any problems that may arise from switching to a completely new and untested manufacturing method.
GAA technology
Apple needs to use up to 1,250 such devices per year, and American wafer tester company Teradyne is ready to supply them with UltraFLEXplus SoC testers and load boards that will probe the Apple A18 processor. 2nm. TSMC also has state-of-the-art testing facilities to assist with this. Older Apple devices will be resold to other SoC testers. With the current iPhone 14 Pro line, Apple decentralizes them through the SoC for the first time. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are equipped with a 5nm Apple A15 SoC with the same five-core GPU as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max use the all-new 4nm A16 chip.
TSMC is expected to produce 2nm chips in 2025
Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks that Apple will continue to fragment its iPhone 15 models further with Pro and Pro Max features for a higher average selling price. Faced with a downturn in demand for electronics, it aims to push prices higher without too much impact on users. It seems that Apple's strategy is working, as the iPhone 14 Pro models are actually now much more attractive than the regular iPhone 14 versions. Therefore, the iPhone 16 models are expected to still be powered by the 3nm SoC. When the time for the iPhone 17 Series comes out, Apple may decide to only equip the iPhone 17 Pro Max with its brand new 2nm A18 chipset.
At the time, it could have further differentiated its iPhone models by using the word "Ultra". According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new naming trend at Apple is supposed to start right after the iPhone 15 Ultra next year, so an iPhone 17 Ultra with a 2nm GAAFET processor could happen, as Apple is wants to further decentralize its products.
