‘3nm chips in the 2022 iPhones’
Apple is generally ahead of the curve when it comes to chips. In 2022 we can also expect a nice development: instead of a 5nm process, the chips will be made with a 3nm process. It is thanks to supplier TSMC, which has made great strides in production. And it's moving fast, because Apple only switched to 5 nanometers in 2019. However, there is a problem: according to Taiwanese sources, Intel is said to have obtained the first copies and Intel is also running away with the majority of production. Previously, Apple made sure they were the first to act and was happy to pay a little extra to be able to buy the latest chips.
Getting smaller, more powerful
Smaller is better in this case: the smaller the transistors, the more can fit on a chip, which increases the performance. This also makes new hardware functions possible. Another option is to keep the number of transistors the same, but make the chip smaller. This also increases performance, makes the chip more economical and produces less heat. That is why chip makers aim for ever smaller values.
From 28nm to 3nm in a few years
In recent years things have gone fast. The 2013 Apple A7 was the first 64-bit processor in a smartphone (the iPhone 5s) and was produced using a 28 nanometer process. There are 1 billion transistors on a surface of one square centimeter.
The iPhone 11 series was the first widely available smartphone to switch to 5nm chips and now there are already plans for nóg smaller. The Mac will probably soon make the switch to 4nm and according to DigiTimes (paywall), supplier TSMC is already on track to switch to the new 3nm production process:
TSMC is on track to move its 3nm process technology to volume production in the second half of 2022 for Apple's devices, either iPhones or Mac computers, according to industry sources.
Mass production can start in the second half of 2022 – just in time for the iPhone 14. Last January and June, DigiTimes also claimed the switch to 3 nanometers.
What will Intel do?
However, Intel is set to receive its first deliveries as early as May 2022, with mass production starting in July. This is at least six months earlier than previously thought and contradicts the DigiTimes reports. Intel would like to use it for the latest processor generation ‘Arrow Lake’. It will not be unveiled until 2023, so there is still a chance that Apple will still be the first with a working consumer product: the iPhone 14. For most users it won't matter much: we won't get the iPhone 14 until in September or October.