TSMC is also reportedly working on an advanced "N2P" process technology that could be used to build chips for iPhone models expected to arrive in 2027.
Apple's 2nm chips may debut on models that arrive two years after the iPhone 15 Pro (pictured)
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple is planning to launch the first iPhone equipped with a processor built on a 2nm process in 2025, according to a report. The Cupertino company will reportedly launch the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max with a next generation chipset from TSMC. The iPhone 15 Pro models were the first phones from Apple to be equipped with a 3nm A17 Pro chip, while the standard iPhone models still run on the 4nm A16 Bionic chipset that previously powered the Pro models launched in 2022.
According to a DigiTimes report (via Apple Insider) citing supply chain sources, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is preparing a new chip manufactured on its 2nm process for the iPhone 17 Pro models that are expected to launch in the second half of 2024. Apple is also expected to introduce Mac models with 2nm chips in the future, but the report does not specify a timeline for these processors.
With TSMC on track to produce the 2nm chips that will be built on its "N2" process technology, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are likely to be the first smartphones to feature the next generation chips, while the standard iPhone 17 models could be equipped with a previous generation chipset, a process Apple has followed since the iPhone 14, which featured the same chip as the iPhone 13 Pro.
While the Taiwanese chip firm will start production of 2nm chip designs next year, it is also working on a more advanced version of the "N2" process technology for even better 2nm chips that will be ready by 2026-end, according to the report. This suggests that the first iPhone models with chips built on the "N2P" process technology could be from the iPhone 19 series that could debut a year later in 2027.
TSMC is also working on its more advanced "A14" process technology, which will allow it to produce 1.4nm chipsets, according to the report. However, there's currently no word on a timeline for production of chips on the advanced process technology, which means it could be years before an iPhone model is launched with a 1.4nm processor.
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