Oliver Haslam on December 3, 2021, 5:05 am

TSMC IS Reportedly Testing 3nm Chips For Future Macs And iPhones

Apple is still running the new M1 chips in its Apple silicon Macs, but with M2 likely to be the next model, the third-generation chips are likely to carry the M3 designation. According to a new report, TSMC is already testing chips for those models.

According to a paywalled DigiTimes report, Apple’s M3 chips will run on a new 3nm fabrication process that TSMC is already testing, although we don’t expect to see devices with those chips until 2023.

Along with a new M3 Mac chip, expect Apple to also make use of a new A17 chip inside the iPhone 15, too.

By switching to a 3nm process, Apple’s new chips should be able to reduce the amount of power they use while also limiting the heat that they generate — even under full load. That’s something that’s beneficial in an iPhone of course, but it would allow Apple to add more cores for a desktop-class chip like the M3, too. Rumors already have a 40-core monster chip somewhere on Apple’s roadmap.

All of this is still a couple of years away from being ready, of course. Apple still has the A16 and M2 chips to get out the door and with A15 and M1 already proving to be very capable, we can’t wait to see what Apple’s chip team has in line for next year.