In a groundbreaking announcement, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has revealed plans to produce cutting-edge 1.6nm chips, raising anticipation for their potential integration into upcoming generations of Apple silicon.
The unveiling of TSMC's latest technologies, including the revolutionary "A16" process boasting a 1.6nm node, marks a significant leap forward in chip logic density and performance. These advancements hold great promise for high-performance computing (HPC) products and data centers alike.
Historically, Apple has been at the forefront of adopting state-of-the-art chip fabrication technologies. Notably, the tech giant was the pioneer in leveraging TSMC's 3nm node with the A17 Pro chip featured in the latest iPhone models. It's anticipated that Apple will continue this trend by embracing TSMC's upcoming nodes for future iterations of its devices.
The A16 technology, slated for production commencement in 2026, incorporates innovative nanosheet transistors and a novel backside power rail solution. This development is projected to deliver notable enhancements, including an 8-10% speed increase and a 15-20% reduction in power consumption at equivalent speeds compared to TSMC's N2P process. Moreover, it promises up to a 1.10x improvement in chip density.
TSMC's unveiling also includes the introduction of System-on-Wafer (SoW) technology, designed to integrate multiple dies on a single wafer. This approach aims to enhance computing power while optimizing space utilization, potentially revolutionizing Apple's data center operations. The initial SoW offering, based on Integrated Fan-Out (InFO) technology, is already in production, with a more advanced chip-on-wafer version leveraging CoWoS technology expected by 2027.
Looking ahead, TSMC is making significant strides towards the production of 2nm and 1.4nm chips, likely earmarked for future Apple silicon iterations. Trial production of the 2nm "N2" node is scheduled for the latter half of 2024, with mass production slated for late 2025. Additionally, TSMC's facilities in Taiwan are set to transition towards the production of "A14" 1.4nm chips by 2027.
Apple enthusiasts can anticipate the A18 chips for the iPhone 16 lineup to be based on TSMC's N3E node, with the "A19" chips for the 2025 iPhone models anticipated to mark Apple's debut into the realm of 2nm chips. Subsequent iterations are expected to continue the trend of technological advancement, with the newly announced 1.6nm process poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Apple's device ecosystem.
With each successive TSMC node surpassing its predecessor in key metrics such as transistor density, performance, and efficiency, the collaboration between TSMC and Apple underscores a commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the semiconductor industry.
