Apple chipmaker TSMC has introduced plans to produce totally superior 1.6nm chips that can be destined for future generations of Apple silicon.

apple silicon 1 featureTSMC the previous day unveiled a series of technologies, including the "A16" process, which is a 1.6nm node. the new expertise significantly enhances chip logic density and efficiency, promising giant improvements for top-performance computing (HPC) items and records centers.

historically, Apple is among the many first organizations to adopt new, state-of-the-paintings chip fabrication applied sciences. for example, it changed into the primary enterprise to utilize TSMC's 3nm node with the A17 pro chip within the iPhone 15 seasoned and ‌iPhone 15 pro‌ Max, and Apple is probably going to comply with suit with the chipmaker's upcoming nodes. Apple's most advanced chip designs have historically appeared within the iPhone earlier than making their strategy to the iPad and Mac lineups, and ultimately trickling down to the Apple Watch and Apple tv.

The A16 expertise, which TSMC plans to begin producing in 2026, comprises inventive nanosheet transistors together with a novel backside power rail answer. This construction is anticipated to supply an eight-10% increase in velocity and a 15-20% discount in power consumption on the same speeds in comparison to TSMC's N2P system, alongside up to a 1.10x chip density development.

TSMC also introduced the rollout of its system-on-Wafer (SoW) expertise, which integrates distinctive dies on a single wafer to increase computing vigour while occupying less space—a construction that may well be transformative for Apple's information middle operations. TSMC's first SoW providing, which is already in creation, is based on integrated Fan-Out (information) technology. A extra advanced chip-on-wafer edition leveraging CoWoS expertise is slated for readiness in 2027.

TSMC is additionally making progress towards manufacturing 2nm and 1.4nm chips which are likely destined for future generations of Apple silicon. Its 2nm "N2" node is scheduled for trial construction within the second half of 2024 and mass production in late 2025, to be followed by using an more suitable "N2P" process in late 2026. Trial construction of the 2nm node will start in the 2nd half of 2024, with small-scale production ramping up within the 2d quarter of 2025. In 2027, facilities in Taiwan will beginning to shift toward creation of "A14" 1.4nm chips.

Apple's upcoming A18 chips for the iPhone sixteen lineup are anticipated to be in line with N3E, while the "A19" for the 2025 ‌iPhone‌ models is expected to be Apple's first 2nm chip. the next year, Apple will seemingly circulation to an more advantageous edition of this 2nm node, adopted by using the newly introduced 1.6nm technique.

each successive TSMC node surpasses its predecessor in terms of transistor density, performance, and effectivity. Late final 12 months, it emerged that TSMC had already validated prototype 2nm chips to Apple forward of their anticipated introduction in 2025.