Apple has started designing 2nm chips for future iPhone models

An Apple employee on Linked In  is supposedly the source of a new report that claims Apple has started designing chips that will be built using TSMC's next-gen 2nm process node. Leaked slides published on the Korean website gamma0burst and posted via a tweet on "X" by leaker Revegnus (via MacRumors) the heavily redacted Apple slide refers to older 5nm chips such as the A15 Bionic, 3nm chips such as the A17 Pro, and a future 2nm chipset.

As the process node used to build a chip "shrinks" in size, the features of the chip get smaller including the transistors allowing more of them to fit inside a chip. That is important because the higher a chip's transistor count, the more powerful and/or energy-efficient that chip is. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are currently the only smartphones powered by a 3nm chip.

Later this year, Apple is expected to use 3nm application processors (AP) for all four iPhone 16 models. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus could be powered by the 3nm A18 Bionic AP while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will sport the more capable A18 Pro AP. Both components will be built using TSMC's second-generation N3E 3nm node.

TSMC is supposedly planning to start production of 2nm chips during the second half of 2025 with the foundry churning out 1.4nm chips in 2027. Apple is expected to be the first company to obtain 2nm chips. The latter should deliver 10% to 15% performance upgrades at the same power or use 25% to 30% less power running at the same speed when compared to 3nm chips.

Apple is TSMC's top customer which is why it is usually able to be the first to receive chips made by TSMC using its latest process node. Apple will need to make some design changes in order to take advantage of TSMC's 2nm node which will feature Gate-all-around (GAA) transistors instead of the currently used FinFET transistors. 

Using horizontal nanosheets placed vertically, GAA transistors allow the gate to surround the channel on all four sides reducing current leak and increasing the drive current. This results in stronger electrical signals between the transistors improving the performance of the chip. Back in December, TSMC showed off a prototype 2nm chip to both Apple and Nvidia.