Apple M3 and A17 Bionic may use TSMC N3E process
Apple’s chips are preparing to move to the 3nm process node, but Apple’s choice of specific processes is still up for debate. Although TSMC plans to mass-produce the first-generation N3 process in the second half of this year, and Intel has vacated production capacity due to the delay of Meteor Lake, Apple seems to have reservations and did not choose to place large-scale orders.
According to Nikkei, Apple’s current goal is to become the first manufacturer to use TSMC’s N3E process next year, which is used on M3 and A17 Bionic. This belongs to the second-generation N3 process, which reflects that the first-generation N3 process is not so popular. The M3 will be used in future Mac and iPad products, while the A17 Bionic will be used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple’s M2 Pro and M2 Max may choose the first-generation N3 process and carry it on the higher-end MacBook Pro models.
However, recent news pointed out that the M2 Pro and M2 Max may still be 5nm chips, and Apple has cut orders for the new 14/16-inch MacBook Pro models, and shipments are expected to be reduced by 20% to 30%. Next year, Apple will continue the existing strategy on the iPhone 15 series, launching the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, still equipped with A16 Bionic, and the A17 Bionic manufactured by the 3nm process will only be supplied to high-end Pro models.
