Latest news with #2nm
Phone Arena
6 days ago
- Phone Arena
You can expect next year's iPhone 18 line to run cooler, faster, and have improved battery life
Have you noticed that application processors are getting more powerful and energy efficient every two to three years? That's because foundries develop lower process nodes resulting in smaller transistors that are show-horned into semiconductors. The more transistors inside a chip, known as the Transistor Count, the more powerful and energy-efficient a chip is. Also important is the Transistor Density which measures the number of transistors per square millimeter (Tr/mm²). Smaller node numbers usually indicate the higher density of a chip. A higher Transistor Density means that more transistors can be packed into the same physical space. Or, the foundry could make a chip with the same number of transistors much smaller. Higher density chips mean that the component can have a smaller die size allowing more to be cut from a silicon wafer thus reducing the cost of each chip. When transistors are closer together, which happens when a chip has a high Transistor Density, the electrical signals have less space to travel reducing latency and improving performance. According to Jeff Pu, an analyst with GF Securities, next year the iPhone 18 series will be powered by the A20 and A20 Pro application processors. These chipsets will be built by TSMC using its first-generation 2nm node known as N2. Thus, the A20 and A20 Pro will be the first 2nm processors found inside an iPhone and it will happen with next year's iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro models respectively. Pu adds that in addition to being built using TSMC's 2nm process node, next year's iPhone application processors could feature a new packaging design called Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM). With this new design, multiple chips are integrated into the wafer before the latter is diced into individual chips. This would allow memory to be closer to parts of the chipset that use it such as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. The shorter transits will improve the performance of the chip while allowing the phone to run cooler. It also could improve the handset's battery life. The size of the A20 and A20 Pro should be smaller than the A19 and A19 Pro SoCs that will power the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro lines this year. The smaller die size is expected to help make the A20 and A20 Pro as much as 15% faster than its predecessor and up to 30% more efficient.
Phone Arena
03-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
TSMC expected to charge $45,000 for silicon wafers used to produce 1.4nm chips by 2028
Next year we should start to see flagship smartphones move from using application processors (AP) made with the 3nm process node to those made at 2nm. This will result in the use of smaller Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors allowing more of them to fit inside an AP. Using vertical nanosheets stacked horizontally, GAA transistors surround the channel on all four sides reducing current leakage, improving the drive current, and enhancing the performance and energy efficiency of these SoCs. Silicon wafers for 2nm production cost $30,000 which is a high price to pay for the underlying substrate on which chips are built in layers. Getting manufacturers to pay $30,000 for each wafer is hard enough; TSMC started accepting orders for 2nm chips on April 1st. But the price of silicon wafers is about to get even more prohibitive. According to China Times , when TSMC moves to its 1.4nm Angstrom process node, silicon wafer prices will rise 50% to a whopping $45,000 per wafer. We probably won't see TSMC churning out 1.4nm components until 2028 at the earliest and at $45K, only TSMC's most well-heeled customers will be able to afford it. Luckily for the world's largest foundry, some of its largest customers might not think twice about shelling out such a sum for a silicon wafer. The firms include Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom. It is interesting to see that Apple typically values the performance of the iPhone above other aspects of the device. For example, even though Apple is well behind Google and Samsung in AI, the company made sure it was among the first to pay the higher wafer prices when TSMC started producing 3nm chips. TSMC's 2nm timeline is probably behind Apple's decision to use the foundry's 3rd generation 3nm process node (N3P) on this year's iPhone 17 line expected to be unveiled in September. Apple will probably be among the first to pay $30,000 for 2nm production. The A20 and A20 Pro APs powering the iPhone 18 series could be the first 2nm chipsets found inside the iPhone. When the time comes for TSMC to schedule 1.4nm production in a few years, you can be sure that Apple will pay the $45,000 price for silicon wafers. It might do so begrudgingly, but it will pay the higher price to keep the iPhone's performance ahead of the rest of the pack. The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 AP powering the Galaxy S26 Ultra will also be produced using TSMC's third generation 3nm chipset. The same process node will be used by MediaTek for its Dimensity 9500 AP.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MediaTek Taps Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for 2nm Chip Tape-Out
On May 20, Taiwanese chip designer, MediaTek announced plans to start the tape-out process for its 2-nanometer chip at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) in September 2025. MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai shared the news at the Computex forum in Taipei. This step reinforces TSMC's role as the world's leading contract chipmaker, strengthening its collaboration with MediaTek. MediaTek's next-generation 2nm chip is tailored for high-end smartphones. The taping out at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited would mark a significant milestone and transition from the popular 3nm smartphone SoCs. While Apple has always been the first to adopt new nodes, MediaTek is looking to usurp it by getting the first 2nm smartphone SoC while using Taiwan Semiconductor's foundry services. MediaTek joins a growing list of companies, including Apple, Qualcomm, and AMD, that have tapped TSM foundry services. While we acknowledge the potential of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than TSM and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
