Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

TSMC is building chips with a 7nm process for the 2018 iPhone and iPad

By

tsmc 7nm chip delivery apple iphone 7 bestof
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2018’s iPhones and iPads could use a pretty powerful new processor architecture. Apple manufacturer TSMC is reportedly on track to deliver the first prototypes chips using a 7nm architecture in the second quarter of 2017. Following the delivery of prototypes, the manufacturer will then be ready to enter full production in early 2018.

At this point, production is dependent on the completion of “Tape Out,” which is the last step in developing these new chips. During that process, the photo-mask of a chip is completed, and is then ready to be sent to a production plant.

Recommended Videos

TSMC isn’t the only manufacturer slated to produce the Apple-designed chips. Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Xilinx will all help produce Apple’s chips for 2018. TSMC is said to already have 15 customers for chips using the 7nm process, but it may be looking for as many as 20, according to reports.

So why shrink a chip’s die down? Well, a chip with a smaller die size consumes less power, meaning that less heat is generated, permitting a better performance per watt. So with the same amount of power applied, a chip can perform better with a smaller die.

The news comes shortly after delays were reported from TSMC in the production of 10nm chips, an issue that some speculated could lead to delays in the launch of the iPhone 8. TSMC refuted the claims that it was experiencing delays, and has since said that the 10nm process is totally on track, and that it would make up less than 1 percent of its revenue in the first quarter of 2017, despite orders from the likes of Apple and Qualcomm.

TSMC won’t stop at a 7nm process — it will begin production of chips with a 5nm process at some point in 2019, and is expected to start delivering chips with a 3nm process by 2022.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
What Apple isn’t telling you about the new iPad Pro’s OLED display
Watching video on M4 iPad Pro.

Tandem OLED! Awesome, right? Wait … hold the phone. Tandem OLED? What in the what?

Did Apple geniuses just smash together two OLED panels and, et voilà, a brand new, unprecedentedly awesome display is born, exclusive to the new iPad Pro? Well, not exactly. There’s more to it than that, and in the end, it’s great news for all of us.
Digging into the world of Tandem OLED

Read more
Here’s how iOS 18 could change the way you use your iPhone
The lock screen on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

It seems the long-overdue Siri overhaul will finally arrive at WWDC in just over a week from now, and the digital assistant will embrace AI trickery in all its forms. According to Bloomberg, Apple’s planned upgrades for Siri will deeply integrate with on-device functions at the OS level and with the installed apps, too.

“The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time,” the report says. The most notable capability is that Siri will only require voice prompts to interact with apps, thanks to a major change in the AI architecture powering it and putting large language models in command, just the way Gemini or ChatGPT draw their own skills from such models.

Read more
5 tablets you should buy instead of the iPad Air (2024)
Two iPad Air models showing the screens.

Apple finally released some new iPads this year after going over a year without any updates. The iPad Air got a big refresh, now with an M2 chip inside and a new size -- 13 inches -- to go along with the regular 11-inch size from before.

The new iPad Air starts at $599 for the 11-inch Wi-Fi base model and increases depending on the size and configuration you choose. If you want the new 13-inch model, be prepared to spend at least $799.

Read more