The launch of the two iPhone 15 Pro models is being heralded as a success for chipmaker TSMC, with the A17 Pro chip expected to account for between 4% and 6% of its total sales this year.
Next year, Apple is expected to adopt TSMC’s next-gen chip tech, known as N3E, for the iPhone 16 Pro models. Five other companies are expected to do the same for their most advanced chips …
Apple’s split-processor approach
Apple again opted for its split-processor approach for this year’s iPhone lineup. The two Pro models got the latest A17 Pro chip, a 3nm chip using a TSMC process known as N3. The non-pro models got last year’s A16 chip.
The reasoning for this is believed to be that TSMC wouldn’t have been able to make enough 3nm chips for all four models. As processes get ever smaller, the technical challenges grow ever greater, and yield rates become problematic.
iPhone 15 Pro a success for TSMC
It’s reported that Apple booked 100% of TSMC’s 3nm capacity this year for the A17 Pro chips, tying the commercial success of the Taiwanese chipmaker’s most advanced process to the iPhone 15 Pro models.
A Digitimes report says that this strategy is paying off for the company.
TSMC is expected to see 4-6% of its overall sales in 2023 come from its N3 (3nm) manufacturing, thanks to orders from Apple for making processors running its iPhone 15 devices, according to industry sources.
The manufacturing of Apple’s A17 Pro SoCs marks a big step forward for the commercialization of TSMC’s 3nm node, which is expected to contribute as much as US$3.41 billion in sales for the Taiwanese foundry house this year, the sources said.
Apple one of six customers for N3E chips in 2024
Looking further ahead, Apple is expected to use TSMC’s N3E process for the A18 chip in next year’s iPhone 16 Pro models. This is still a 3nm process, but an even smaller version which will boost performance while increasing power efficiency.
An analyst yesterday suggested we can also expect a faster 5G modem, Wi-Fi 7, and a new 48MP sensor for the ultrawide lens.
Today’s report says that at least five other chipmakers are likely to commission N3E circuitry from TSMC.
N3 (formerly codenamed N3B) is expected to gradually give way to N3E – a revised 3nm version – starting in 2024, the sources said. Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek, AMD, Nvidia, Intel and many other AI chip customers are expected to embrace TSMC’s N3E technology, the sources said.
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