Locator: 50570AAPL.
From the linked article:
Apple Silicon has another big journey to take, one that means Apple will probably be the first to introduce 1.4- and 1-nanometer chips inside its systems. If that happens, Macs, iPhones, and iPads will continue to lead the industry in performance per watt.
......reports claim TSMC is working to build sub 1nm chips by 2029 — and Apple remains that company’s most important customer, despite competition from AI server manufacturers today.
Demand for AI servers could yet slow, given the looming energy crisis and the trend toward on-prem and edge AI services. I don’t think the current level of investment in AI is sustainable, which is why I think Apple will continue to be TSMC’s lead customer once that bubble, inevitably, bursts.
What’s happening at TSMC?
The latest news is that TSMC intends to begin trial production of its sub-1nm A10 process tech by 2029, setting up Apple to be the first big company to use these new processors inside its hardware when volume production begins.
What’s interesting is that this move to 1nm isn’t just about making transistors smaller, but also about ensuring close integration between chips, memory, and energy systems. A report in 2021 said TSMC was able to reach 1nm by using bismuth instead of silicon in the design.
Apple, of course, already works very, very hard to integrate those different elements on its existing processors, which is why...
More at the link.
The article talks about 1.8 nm, next to come; then Apple probably skipping 1.6 nm; and, going direct to 1.4 nm. But not until 2029?
Intel has now moved their 1.4 nm technology up from a "2029 timeline" to 2027 - 2028 commercial production with pilot chips possibly available even sooner. Aggressive.
Samsung, just the opposite. Initially slated for 2027, industry sources suggest that Samsung may perfect its 2 nm technology (SF2) before moving ahead to 1.4 technology.
So, it's a race.
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Another Race: Intel, AMD, And Barron's
I've seen this before -- Intel's problem with AMD.
Intel's nemesis (according to Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore): AMD. Specifically, AMD's new Venice chips.
AMD's "Venice" chips are the next-generation (6th Gen) EPYC server processors based on the Zen 6 architecture, expected in 2026. They feature up to 256 cores (512 threads) built on TSMC's 2nm process, promising over 70% better performance/efficiency than current models and utilizing the new SP7 platform.
Built on TSMC's 2 nm process.Venice is projected to provide a >70% performance and efficiency boost over the 5th Gen "Turin" CPUs, largely designed for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI workloads. Turin: TSMC 3 nm process (N3).