Apple's 2018 iPhone could use TSMC-made 7nm processors - report
Apple chip supplier TSMC could make use of its new 7-nanometer manufacturing technique for the processors in 2018 iPhones, a new Chinese-language report suggests.
After trial efforts are completed, TSMC should be ready to begin 7-nanometer manufacturing in earnest sometime between Q4 2017 and Q1 2018, MyDrivers claimed, citing supply chain sources. That would give Apple enough time to implement the technology into 2018 iPhones, and indeed TSMC will allegedly be Apple's exclusive supplier of 7-nanometer chips.
The report suggested that Apple could make use of the process for the "A11" chip in 2017 iPhones, but that would be unlikely. For years Apple has preferred to ship new iPhones in September -- the end of Q3 -- and the company would need full-scale manufacturing to meet global demand.
Instead the "A11" will likely make use of TSMC's 10-nanometer process, which should enter use in the first quarter of 2017. The A10 chip in the iPhone 7 is a 16-nanometer component.
Shrinking die size should allow Apple to cram faster processor technology into a smaller space, while simultaneously making iPhones more power-efficient, or at least keeping consumption under control.
After trial efforts are completed, TSMC should be ready to begin 7-nanometer manufacturing in earnest sometime between Q4 2017 and Q1 2018, MyDrivers claimed, citing supply chain sources. That would give Apple enough time to implement the technology into 2018 iPhones, and indeed TSMC will allegedly be Apple's exclusive supplier of 7-nanometer chips.
The report suggested that Apple could make use of the process for the "A11" chip in 2017 iPhones, but that would be unlikely. For years Apple has preferred to ship new iPhones in September -- the end of Q3 -- and the company would need full-scale manufacturing to meet global demand.
Instead the "A11" will likely make use of TSMC's 10-nanometer process, which should enter use in the first quarter of 2017. The A10 chip in the iPhone 7 is a 16-nanometer component.
Shrinking die size should allow Apple to cram faster processor technology into a smaller space, while simultaneously making iPhones more power-efficient, or at least keeping consumption under control.
Comments
It'll be a major leap forward compared to 16nm processes, and it'll enable far more powerful configurations, either via higher clocks (likely on the CPUs) or adding extra silicon (likely on the GPU). IMO we'll see the top-end iPad outperforming the low-power Intel SoCs in the MacBook, etc. But the time isn't right for ARM MacBooks, but maybe we'll see iPads become more functional in desktop OS functionalities.
I have read elsewhere that TSMC has been developing 7nm and 5nm, while it works on the final stages of 10nm for the 2017 iPhone. However, this is the first I have read about iPhone making the jump to 7nm by 2018. Prior news stories have implied that 7nm will only be available in limited quantities from TSMC before late 2018, and sticking with 10nm for a couple of years fits better with tradition. However, with enough resources (i.e., AppleCash), things can obviously be speeded up. Yet, it seems that Apple would spend those incremental dollars for a 2018 move to 7nm only if it had a specific plan that 7nm would be key to executing.
The article refers to the "2018" iPhone because of the confusion surrounding the name of the 10th anniversary iPhone. By tradition, the 2017 iPhone should be a 7s and 2018 should iPhone 8. So perhaps we will be surprised by a 10th edition model in 2018 (instead of 2017), with a 7nm application processor and a suite of apps featuring AR and VR.
It's "kerning", and it's the spacing between characters, to make it more readable. Look at the time, "1:43", and you'll see the huge space after the "1"... not Apple-like at all.