is the math realistic for the N2 product? that is a huge increase in price. with what performance increase to justify that huge price jump? sounds like a shark jumping competition gonna be happening with iPhone next year...
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Apple's A20 Chip Could Be Massively More Expensive
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I wouldn’t read too much into this. Semiconductor manufacturing is a very complex world. This may be a useful signal for customers like Apple but probably doesn’t carry long term consequences. Let’s see if they are still talking this way in a year or two.
break it down or build it up... I'm just playing with the few, scant details (notably, the at least 50% higher) in the write-up. TSMC has reportedly told customers, presumably including Apple, to expect pricing that is at least 50% higher than 3-nanometer processors. And ---A report from DigiTimes last year placed the cost of the A18 chip at around $45, ...
One other thing, to speculate about the "PACKAGE" and cost is nonsensical. For its current SoCs, Apple uses Integrated Fan-Out (InFO) packaging, where the memory is typically attached near the processor via a silicon interposer. Apple is expected to use WMCM packaging for its 2N --Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module is an advanced packaging method for integrating multiple chips, such as the CPU, GPU, and DRAM, directly onto a single wafer. To guess the eventual cost of this new packaging technology is wildly speculative right now.
We all know Moore's first law. But his 2nd law was "that the capital cost of a semiconductor fabrication plant also increases exponentially over time."
He went on to say that this fact proves that computer chips can not continue improving because at some point there will literally not be enough money on Earth to pay for the next plant.
What he meant was that while the first law means that the technology will get a ot better over time, the second law sys the process will come to an end when we can not afford to build the next fab.
I think the end is in sight.
He went on to say that this fact proves that computer chips can not continue improving because at some point there will literally not be enough money on Earth to pay for the next plant.
What he meant was that while the first law means that the technology will get a ot better over time, the second law sys the process will come to an end when we can not afford to build the next fab.
I think the end is in sight.
The prices are already ridiculous. I don't have to buy it.
Not everyone is on the same upgrade cycle as you. Annual improvements are fine, not sure why this is such a rub to some
Logically, (at least) one of these numbers must be way off.
Adding 50% to $45 does not result in $280.
They don't. UNLESS you want a better tier...
See those flat lines. Yeah...
And if you look at inflation adjusted prices, there's a decrease (2nd graph).
From
iPhone pricing inflation adjusted history
All the iPhone variants, models and generations graphed and adjusted for inflation and discussion of pricing power over a multi-year year period
asymco.com
This article might shed more light on what we are all guessing at:
New tactic to bring down Apple below October 30. Now it is that iPhone 18's A20 chip would be too costly as it is a 2nm chip and hence iPhone 18s will be too costly. I am sure that Apple will rise above all this negativity. Apple has successfully shipped Apple's AI servers to Apple's AI data-centres.