January 3, 2025 — Due to TSMC’s 2nm process costing more than expected and initial production capacity being limited, the A19 series processors for Apple’s iPhone 17 series, to be launched this year, will use TSMC’s N3P process.
Although TSMC has conducted a small-scale risk production of approximately 5,000 wafers for the 2nm process at its Zhuke Baoshan plant, with smooth progress, the 2nm process is expected to go into mass production on schedule, with the Kaohsiung plant following suit. However, initial yields and capacity are expected to be limited, and costs are likely to be high. This may be the reason why Apple has delayed adopting TSMC’s 2nm process.
According to reports, although the trial production yield of TSMC’s 2nm process is comparable to the company’s target of 60%, it means nearly 40% of the chips produced have defects. With each wafer costing as much as $30,000, the decision to manufacture the A19 Pro processor using the 2nm process will significantly increase costs. Additionally, the initial production capacity may not meet the demand for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, potentially affecting the shipments of these two models.
Despite production challenges, TSMC pointed out at the 2024 IEDM conference that the number of transistors on 2nm chips will be 15% more than on 3nm chips, providing a 15% performance boost while consuming the same amount of power. TSMC will also introduce the N2P process technology as an extension of the 2nm family, supporting applications in smartphones and high-performance computing (HPC), with mass production expected in the second half of 2026. Apple’s iPhone 18 series may adopt the N2P process by then.
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