According to Taiwanese research company TrendForce, Apple chip maker TSMC is reducing its ambitions to manufacture 3nm processors next year as a result of Intel delaying a significant order. Mass production of Intel’s Meteor Lake GPU chipset, which was supposed to begin in the second half of 2022, was apparently expected to be outsourced to TSMC but was ultimately postponed to the first half of 2023 due to design and verification concerns.
As a result, TSMC has apparently been “greatly affected” by the move, forcing it to slow its expansion of 3nm chip production to ensure that production capacity “is not excessively idle, leading to massive cost amortization pressure.”
Currently, it is said that Intel has postponed mass manufacturing until the end of 2023, thus cancelling the 3nm chip production capacity it had reserved with TSMC for most of the following year.
The primary customer for TSMC’s inaugural mass production of 3nm chips is reportedly Apple. Apple is currently the only significant corporation among the initial batch of 3nm chip production clients with orders due between the second half of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, claims the report. According to reports, the “A17 Bionic” and new M-series CPUs are among Apple’s planned 3nm processors.
It is unclear whether the delay brought on by Intel at TSMC will affect Apple’s 3nm chip production volume or timeline. The M2 Pro, which is expected to make its debut in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models as well as a high-end Mac mini, is reported to be Apple’s first 3nm chip.
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