October 10 – According to 9to5mac, Apple is launching the iPhone 15 series in the second half of next year with a top-of-the-line version equipped with Apple’s A17 Bionic chip, which uses a 3nm process and is OEM’d by TSMC. The report points out that the only one that can currently compete with TSMC in terms of advanced technology is Samsung Electronics, however, Samsung is lagging behind TSMC in terms of the 3nm process, with Samsung’s second generation 3nm process not due until 2024 at the earliest, so Apple’s A17 will be OEM’d by TSMC.
It is reported that 3nm is currently TSMC’s most advanced process. Compared to 5nm, the chip density based on the N3E process is 1.3 times higher, the logic gate density is 1.6 times higher, and the speed is increased by 15-20% at the same power consumption, or reduced by 30-35% at the same speed.
The innovation of the 3nm series lies mainly in its use of FINFLEX technology, which allows for maintaining a balance of speed and power consumption while increasing density. The related logic test chip and 3nm 256Mb SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) yields reached around 80%, and the initial yields are expected to be better than the initial 5nm N5 process.
It is worth noting that Samsung aims to catch up with TSMC by 2025 and overtake them by 2027. It is rumored that Samsung will mass produce 2nm in 2025 and 1.4nm in 2027, while hoping to get orders from Apple.
