Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) appears to be gearing up to start production of Apple’s A12 processors using its new 7-nanometer process. This will be one of the first A-series chips to use the 7nm process. This change brings us down from the current 10-nanometer process used to produce the A11 Bionic, which is found in the iPhone 8 and iPhone X models.
This brings both benefits to Apple as well as consumers as the chip can now fit into smaller places and could potentially offer increased battery life, lower heat production, and a boost in processing capacity. It was believed that TSMC would be sharing the orders with Samsung, but with the TSMC’s 7nm advantage they appear to have won over the whole order for this year’s iPhones.
With Apple being one of TSMC’s biggest customers, it is said that the chip maker will be preparing to start construction on a 5-nanometer facility later this year with a 3-nanometer factory that may begin construction sometime in 2020.