Apple 2nm Chip: TSMC Demos New Processor, Coming this 2025—Is This the M4?

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 12 December 2023, 10:12 pm

Processors are getting smaller and more powerful, and the latest development from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is that it demonstrated the 2nm chip to Apple. Currently, the latest work from Apple and TSMC is the 3nm chip, best known for its debut earlier this October via the Scary Fast event, centering on the M3 series for Macs and iPads.

While the M3 is not yet seeing significant availability among Apple's lineup, only appearing in the MacBook Pro and the revamped iMac, there are already plans for 2025's M4.

Apple Sees the 2nm Chip as TSMC Demos the Processor

(Photo : SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

The Financial Times reported that TSMC has recently demonstrated and showed its initial take on the 2nm chips, getting an upgrade by offering a smaller form factor by as much as 1 nanometer. This year, we saw the M3 with the 3nm process, and the recently reported showcase by TSMC to Apple signals its next-gen development that will offer upgrades for the current processors.

It was also revealed that the 2nm process is slated for mass production come 2025, with the upcoming year centering on the 3nm chip that was already debuted by Apple last Halloween.

Moreover, Apple is not the only company that is a customer of TSMC production, with the 2nm prototypes also shown to another company, NVIDIA.

2nm Chip Coming by 2025, But Is This the M4?

Following Apple's releases and track, the significant size reduction with this chip signals the next generation of its M-series, with this processor speculated as the M4.

It is similar to the M2's 4nm chip which saw its counterpart release this year, the 3nm that is known as the M3.

Still, it is expected that Apple stays mum regarding this new 2nm process, but it is expected to be called the M4, with its first mass production slated for 2025.

Apple's M-Series and TSMC's Work

The year-long wait for the M3 series is finally over, as the chip debuted in the most recent Apple event, and the company celebrating the arrival of its new SoC (System on Chip). Like what initial speculations claimed, the new M3 features a 12-core CPU and an 18-core GPU, but this came for the M3 Pro chip in the latest specifications from Apple, with the base version featuring an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU.

The M-series by Apple may have been designed and envisioned by the California team, but it was made by TSMC, and with this partnership, the company rose to great heights, becoming one of the top chipmakers in the world. For many years now, TSMC debuted improvements on the M-series since it was first released by Apple in 2020, fulfilling Big Tech's first step toward independence.

Now, their partnership blossomed into one of the most significant businesses of the company, centering on the M-series which delivered the renowned processors available from Apple. The recent development of the next-gen SoC, the 2nm process, shows off the future of Apple and TSMC's partnership, and more importantly, its possible arrival by 2025, featuring the M4.