Apple’s custom next-gen processor, M2 chip, has entered mass production this month. TMSC-made chipsets to replace Intel offerings in laptops set to launch in 2H.
Apple is going to add one more member to its chipset family, which it recently started solo.
It has started mass-production of its next-generation Mac processor this month. Apple’s M1 chip was an ARM-based system on a chip designed as a central processing unit. Now Apple is going to the next step and a new level. Apple is now mass-producing M1’s successor, the M2 chip.
This M2 chip is now in chipset foundry and is based on a 4nm fabrication node. This chip is the upgraded version of the M1 chip, which was a 5nm processor. According to the Nikkei Asia report, Apple will take three months to wrap the production process and be supplied to the MacBook assembly chain.
But at the moment, Apple and TSMC(Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co) have refused to make any comments on the matter.
Joey Yen, an analyst with IDC, told Nikkei Asia that Apple is determined to replace Intel’s chip offerings with its own completely, a move that could help the iPhone maker further differentiate its products from those of its rivals.
While details regarding the upcoming Apple chip aren’t fully revealed, it is suggested that it will be manufactured by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.), which is the company’s key supplier. The SoC is expected to be based on a 5-nanometer plus process, with the plus indicative of better and improved performance.
Earlier, Apple and Intel worked together and created the 5nm processor, M1 chips. But for the M2 chip, Apple has decided to part ways with Intel and went solo. As a result, the M2 will be more efficient and have a better performance than the old Intel chips. Apple has also offered tighter integration of resources and announced Universal Apps. These apps, as named, will work over all the platforms and devices, like iPad, iPhone, and Macs.
Since Apple is creating its chip this time around, it is expected that the new use of its new SoCs will have more tightly knit and highly efficient processed hardware. As a result, it will be a more effective and efficient performer than the earlier ones.
The M1 was introduced to not only MacBooks but to different devices as well. This 5nm processor was also embedded in the 2021 iMac and 2021 iPad Pro. But M2 is rumored to be developed for MacBooks only, at the moment. However, there may be some more developments in the future. It may not be obvious what benefits M2 provides, but surely, this 4nm fabrication node will have an exponential upgrade compared to its 5nm predecessor, the ARM-based M1 chip.
The upcoming MacBook pro comes with a design overhaul, performance improvements, support for MagSafe, removal of touch bar(possible, not 100%), and many more. In addition, this new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will get a better CPU, GPU, and overall performance than its predecessors.
Now it remains to be seen whether this step by Apple will prompt Dell, HP, and Lenovo to replace traditional steps with products designed by Qualcomm and MediaTek.