TSMC 2nm processor won't arrive until the iPhone 18 Pro

Despite previous reports that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro would get TSMC's latest 2nm processor, a new claim says mass production will not be ready until the end of 2025.

As recently as April 2024, reports were saying that the new and faster 2 nanometer processors would be produced for Apple in 2025, and that they would appear first in the iPhone 17 Pro. TSMC did commit to a 2025 launch, but a new claim says that volume production will be too late for that year's iPhone launch.

The claim comes a leaker called "Mobile phone chip expert," on the Weibo Chinese social media site. The claim was in response to apparent industry media reports that chips made with the 2nm process would be ready in early 2025.

"This is nonsense fake news," writes the leaker (in translation), "After reading the production capacity planning table, I know that this is another report by the unscrupulous media."

Then the leaker specifies that the iPhone 17 Pro will still use 3nm processors. And that the iPhone will not have 2nm until the iPhone 18 range.

The industry report that the leaker hopes to refute also says that Apple's M5 processor is expected to be mass-produced in 2025. The leaker doesn't directly comment on this claim, and previous reports have said Apple is already working on that M5 chip.

Leaker "Mobile Phone Chip Expert" has a generally good reputation for accuracy. However, most of his or her claims concern issues that will take years to confirm.

They may also never be confirmed. For instance, a recent claim from the leaker says that Apple has a secret plan to develop AI processors for its data centers.

2 Comments

blastdoor 3564 comments · 15 Years

About 4 months ago

N2 production would need to start in the first half of 2025 for apple to get it into the 2025 iPhones.

I had assumed that wouldn’t happen, but some other stories made it sound like it could. A combination of good luck and lots of money might make it happen.

Though honestly I’m not sure why Apple would want to accelerate N2, except perhaps for the Mac so they can compete with Intel 20A and 18A. But for the iPhone, nobody will be on a more advanced mode than apple, so no need to rush.

tenthousandthings 1060 comments · 17 Years

About 4 months ago

blastdoor said:

N2 production would need to start in the first half of 2025 for apple to get it into the 2025 iPhones.
I had assumed that wouldn’t happen, but some other stories made it sound like it could. A combination of good luck and lots of money might make it happen.

Though honestly I’m not sure why Apple would want to accelerate N2, except perhaps for the Mac so they can compete with Intel 20A and 18A. But for the iPhone, nobody will be on a more advanced mode than apple, so no need to rush.

Definitely lots of money. N2 requires a new fab, Fab 20, which hasn’t opened yet. To push the construction ahead of schedule would be prohibitively expensive, I imagine. Also, TSMC has not yet said where A16 (the TSMC 1.6 nm node, not the Apple SoC) will be implemented, but Fab 20 seems possible, it’s a large complex with four buildings.

The big change in cadence is the apparent shift from two generations per node (basically a sort of tick-tock model) for N7-N7P, N5-N5P, N4-N4P to at least three main generations per node for N3-N3E-N3P, and N2-N2P/A16. The shift actually began with 5nm, with N4 (which is third-generation 5nm). So it’s hard to predict because it is obviously in flux as they transition to a new era, where advanced packaging is increasingly part of the equation.