A20 Chip for iPhones Said to Remain 3nm [Retracted Rumor]

[MacRumors]

Update — March 20: GF Securities has retracted this information, and it expects the A20 chip to be manufactured with TSMC's 2nm process. The original story follows.

While the iPhone 17 series is still around six months away, a rumor pertaining to next year's iPhone 18 series has already surfaced.

In a research note with investment firm GF Securities today, analyst Jeff Pu said the A20 chip for the iPhone 18 models will be manufactured with TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P. That is the same process that is expected to be used for the A19 and A19 Pro chips coming in the iPhone 17 models, so the iPhone 18 models could have relatively small overall performance improvements compared to the previous generation.

Pu does expect the A20 chip to have one upgrade that he said will benefit Apple Intelligence capabilities. Specifically, he said the chip will use TSMC's so-called Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology, which would allow for tighter integration of the chip's processor, unified memory, and Neural Engine.

If this information is accurate, the first iPhone chip to use TSMC's 2nm technology would be the A21 chip in 2027 at the earliest.

Article Link: A20 Chip for iPhones Said to Remain 3nm [Retracted Rumor]

 

[BorisDG]

In a research note with investment firm GF Securities today, analyst Jeff Pu said the A20 chip for the iPhone 18 models will be manufactured with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, known as N3P.

First of all, it's 3rd generation. 1st is N3B, 2nd is N3E and than we have N3P and probably N3X. Anyway I'm pretty sure Apple will use N2 for A20. The competition is not sleeping and they can't skip 2nm for A20.

 

[DocMultimedia]

How is the 1mm chip coming along? I think we need at least five years of rumors. 🤣 Why stop at 2mm?

 

[jz0309]

So if they’re moving to chippers this would make sense, but, we’re close to a year away from the A20 to go into mass production

 

[1037]

This is like something from Terminator 2

 

[Joe Rossignol]

First of all, it's 3rd generation. 1st is N3B, 2nd is N3E and than we have N3P and probably N3X. Anyway I'm pretty sure Apple will use N2 for A20. The competition is not sleeping and they can't skip 2nm for A20.

Oops, I mixed that up. I corrected it to third generation.

 

[SAIRUS]

We made it so powerful we can render graphics at a fidelity only people living in their basements will appreciate…

Tim Cook fired for targeting people without a paycheck. Blamed Scott Forstall again.

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

In 2027, Apple should take advantage of the 20th anniversary to sync up the iPhone, SOC, and iOS version numbers. It’s all the “S” models that messed everything up. They should all have the same number.

 

[AppleFeller]

Idk I feel like Apple has to get on 2nm asap but maybe not....or maybe the M chips get 2nm for M6's with A chips keeping on the cheaper lesser architecture....but idk if that is technically feasible based off what little I know about chip architecture design.

 

[Le0M]

What happened to 2nm SoC rumors?

 

[DeepIn2U]

So if they’re moving to chippers this would make sense, but, we’re close to a year away from the A20 to go into mass production

And will be 4 yrs behind what Asus already developed and used with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 gen 3 for the ROG 8 Phone Pro 2023, and with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for the ROG 9 Phone Pro in fall 2024!

This should mean a much smaller motherboard or PCB for the entire chipset and much improved and larger space for the battery!

 

[ThaRuler]

I’m waiting for 0nm chips

 

[Apple$]

I’m waiting for 0nm chips

0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 nm chips are in the future!

 

[johnsawyercjs]

I’m waiting for 0nm chips

I have an infinite number of those since they don't take up much space, and I can ship them anywhere with just a thought

 

[ghanwani]

"Your mom's flight lands at 11:18 AM"

And when you show up at the airport, you find out Apple Intelligence screwed up. Because it's all best effort and you said you're OK with that as part of the terms and conditions.

(Remember the good old days when Apple Maps driving directions routed people to the airport runway?)

Dangerous Apple Maps glitch directs drivers onto airport runway

A glitch in the Apple Maps app on newer iPhones and iPads guides people up to a runway at a major Alaska airport.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[BelgianChoklit]

Keeping the biggest changes for the iPhone's twentieth anniversary.

 

[vinesy]

Silicon atoms are 0.2nm

Presumably you’d need at least two to make a transistor.

 

[bhirt37]

Silicon atoms are 0.2nm

Presumably you’d need at least two to make a transistor.

The whole 3nm, 2nm is just a bunch of marketing bs that now describes a “process” instead of a real measurement. Historically the nm actually corresponded to a physical size (normally a transistor gate pitch, the distance between the center of adjacent transistors), but thats ancient history. Back in 2022, TSMC said the gate pitch for their 3nm process was in fact 45nm. That was N3. I have no idea what N3P is.

 

[kerr]

Think I have this right:

2023 - A17 3nm, N3B (Pro models)
2024 - A18 3nm, N3E (all models)
2025 - A19 3nm, N3P (all models)
2026 - A20 3nm, N3P (all models)
2027 - A21 2nm, N2?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_nm_process#3_nm_process_nodes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_nm_process#2_nm_process_nodes

 

[dandyryan]

ok ill wait for the iPhone XX.

 

[svish]

The chips even if using 3nm will still be powerful and will offer improvement over the previous generation. But it is also possible for the phones to have 2nm chips as it is a long time away.

 

[JohnRckr]

Genuinely asking: can we go lower than 2nm?

 

[bhirt37]

Genuinely asking: can we go lower than 2nm?

Since 2nm is just a made up number that has nothing to do with anything, the answer is “yes, we can go lower”

 

[Populus]

Now I wonder what will happen to the M series chips. The M5 will use the newer N3P process, that’s for sure. But will it introduce this CoWoS or will they wait to M6? I know the M4 uses the A18 cores and the M5 should be based on the A19, which won’t use this CoWoS, but do you think Apple could introduce it earlier for the M series chips?

 

[contacos]

What happens once we hit 1 nm? 1 nm Plus? 1 nm Pro?