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M3 Chip for Macs and A17 Chip for iPhone 15 Pro Will Reportedly Use TSMC's Second-Generation 3nm Process
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Wow Holmes. Insightful!! Next you'll get me straight that chocolate is only more tasty than dirt in my subjective opinion.
You can buy mine. Not too expensive! Check my sig.
I don't agree with the naming schemes, but I suspect Intel came up with this to match the deceptive naming schemes from TSMC and Samsung. IIRC, Intel 7 10nm is more dense than TSMC's N7, which TSMC has actually referred to as 7nm in some literature even knowing it really isn't.
Similarly TSMC N4 isn't 4nm. It's close to N5, but N5 isn't 5nm either. In terms of density by old standards, it's probably closer to 7nm.
Now what ,you want us to pay you for that ? Drop it son ,it ain’t gonna work
The next smaller unit than nanometer is a picometer (pm). A silicon atom is about 200 pm (0.2 nm) in diameter so that is the absolutely smallest size a transistor made out of silicon can be.and what's beyond that
Because N3E will be up and running and it's better than N3. TSMC says better yields, better performance, and lower power.
Some of it is due to TSMC's bleeding edge manufacturing process, but some of it is also driven by Apple's hardware/software integration and the inclusion of things like hardware accelerators on the die, hence why an M1 Pro can tear through ProRes video faster than a Xeon Mac Pro with an Afterburner card. Apple can fine tune their APIs to maximize the hardware in a way that Linux and Windows can't given the breadth of hardware they have to support.
CoreML is a good example. Part of the reason apps like Photoshop run so much faster is because they've been updated to utilize CoreML which taps into the M1's Neural Engine to accelerate certain tasks. Intel and AMD don't have those types of accelerators on their chips, though Intel is rumored to be developing a neural network accelerator of its own for its 14th generation Meteor Lake processors.
Absolutely. If Apple were serious about the environment, they’d just stop introducing new products completely. That way nobody would feel compelled to upgrade!
On a more serious note, I’m writing this from a perfectly usable first-gen iPhone SE (~6 years old), so unless people are literally throwing out their old iPhones when they get new ones (instead of selling them or handing them down) they’re probably staying out of the e-waste for quite a while.
I was more just saying that Apple and TSMC have the kind of relationship where Apple's latest chip is GOING to be on the most advanced process node TSMC has. Of course if TSMC got stuck Apple'd be SOL unless somehow TSMC had been surpassed and whoever it was was willing to fab Apple's chip (and Apple was willing to redesign their chips for that node)Yes, Apple & TSMC continue to innovate. But we shouldn't take it for granted. Keep in mind those using windows are stuck with 10nm chips from Intel's 10ESF process (later deceptively renamed to Intel 7).
Intel used to dominate the chip market, so the fact that Apple is already using chips better than anything Intel can make is pretty amazing, not to mention it's planning chips a third that size for production next year. Meanwhile Intel struggles to get decent performance out of its 10nm process.
Intel admits that the 10nm process is doing poorly
In a very honest reflection on the state of Intel's current competitive position, CFO George Davis not only admitted that 10nm won't be as profitable as previous nodes, but that Intel is in fact behind other foundries when it comes to manufacturing technology. Davis doesn't expect Intel will...www.notebookcheck.net
Believe me I'm well aware of the fact that we shouldn't take process node advances / processor advances for granted.
I lived through Apple's PPC "Mhz Myth" days (when IBM & Motorola basically hit a wall at 500Mhz and then ~1.25Ghz for years while Intel/AMD raced up to and past 2Ghz.)
As for Intel's process failures, I don't think ANYONE needs to be reminded of THAT, after all... it's still ongoing... 😂
Oh I follow Apple's Watch chips. It's part of why I didn't upgrade from my Series 4 (the new Apple Watches just didn't/don't offer enough and the S4 is still more than fast enough.) The only reason it got "replaced" was because after getting a warranty replacement under AppleCare the replacement died shortly after (and I no longer had AppleCare)
"N4" is a tweak of N5. It's not a brand new process. Basically it's N5+++. At the same time, N3 was being developed... just not early enough for A16. As you can see from the illustration, there is significant overlap for the timing of the various major generations.
EDIT:
I'm not saying these reports are definitely accurate. I'm just saying N3E is feasible judging by their reports and roadmaps. And if not N3E, it will be at least N3. IOW, A17 will be N3-something and will represent a major jump in chip density from the N4/N5 chips. The question of what version of N3 remains to be seen though.
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Thank you !
Oh oh but now I recall that previously enhanced versions were called nxP and not nxE … from what I gather ,nxE is basically in between nx and nxP right ? Meaning that n3 to n3e won’t be as impressive of a jump as n5 to n5p
Not sure, but I don't really care either way. The big jump will be from N5 series to N3 series. And as it stands, our iPhone SoCs are way overpowered already anyway for what they need to do.
The biggest hold-up for me to upgrade my iPhone is when they move to USB-C. The power and cameras are more than adequate for years of use as they stand. I love having the same cord for my MacBook Pro, iPad, headphones, battery pack, etc. My iPhone and Apple Watch are the two outliers. I don't see how they could ever get the Watch to be USB-C while keeping the waterproof level, but one more device will be nice.
TSMC must be doing something better than everyone else or Intel and Samsung wouldn't be booking orders for TSMC to make their chips.
I was talking about atoms and molecules.
If they want smaller chips they’ll need to find a new material to replace the actual one/s.
You're in luck for next year, since the iPhone is said to go USB-C then.
But why in the world would you need USB-C on a Watch?!? You planning on hooking up an SSD to it or something? 🤨
