Apple, which will use the majority of TSMC’s 3nm fabrication volume for the A17 Bionic processor, which it will use in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, may make a significant change in 2024. Allegedly, the A17 processors to be used next year will lag behind those produced this year.A17 processors to be produced in 2024 are in trouble
Apple will use TSMC’s N3B fabrication process for the A17 processor, which it will use in the iPhone 15 Pro series, which will be released in the coming months. This 3nm fabrication will allow the A17 to have serious efficiency and performance gains. However, according to one claim, Apple will have to change the N3B process next year to reduce costs.
According to the claim of a user named “Mobile phone chip master” on Weibo, Apple will use TSMC’s N3E process instead of N3B for the A17 processors it will produce in 2024. Although the N3E has a 3nm fabrication process, it offers lower performance and consumes more power than chips produced in N3B. The N3B consumes 32% less power than the 5nm process, while the N3E process consumes 30% less power. In addition, the N3B shows an 18% performance increase over the previous generation, while the N3E only shows a 15% performance increase. The aforementioned A17 processor will likely be used in standard iPhone 16 models. However, it seems likely that Apple will go through this process in the iPhone 15 Pro models, which will be produced in the middle of 2024. It is not yet clear in which process the M3 processor family, which will be produced in the 3nm process next year, will be produced. Apple may find it difficult to maintain its competitive advantage in the smartphone market if the A17 processor cannot deliver the expected performance in 2024. What do you think about this rumor?
