Report: 3rd Gen Apple Silicon to Be Built on TSMC’s 3-Nanometer Process, Feature Up to 40 Cores

[Tsing]

Image: Apple



The Information has shared a paywalled report teasing the future of Apple’s silicon chips. According to its sources, Apple’s second-generation chips will leverage an enhanced version of TSMC’s 5-nanometer process and contain two dies, allowing for a boost in core count, while the third generation will leverage TSMC’s 3-nanometer process and feature four dies for up to 40 cores. Apple’s 3 nm chips are expected to debut in 2023 for Mac and iPhone devices.



From The Information, which seems confident that Intel will never be able to win Apple’s business back based on the new road map:



Last month, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger declared that winning back Apple’s business was one of his top priorities, a move that would ease the shame of Apple having dropped Intel processors from its Mac line of computers in favor of its own designs. It looks like Gelsinger has...

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[Brian_B]

I've heard so many different rumors... the most prominent being that 3nm was having issues and Apple may end up re-taping everything out on the TSCM 4nm process. IDK if there's any truth to that though.


That said, are we on Gen 3 M1? Everything released to date is still the M-"ONE"., and have the same architecture - just differing core counts for the most part.

As far as Intel winning back Apple's business... they may get Apple to fab their designs at an Intel fab, but I don't think Apple will ever go back to x86. And it's not like Intel has a lot else to offer: Apple tried using Intel radios, and it sucked for Apple... and then because of a row with Qualcomm (and I assume no small part also due to a lack of trust in Intel) Apple just ended up buying Intel's 5G division to bring the tech and necessary patents in house in 2020. Intel spun off their NAND memory (SSDs) to SK Hynix in 2020 as well. I guess Intel still has Optane, but it hasn't exactly caught the world on fire and Apple hasn't used it anywhere to date.