iPhone chipmaking partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has revealed that it may soon take first place in the continuing race to make smaller and more efficient processors, as it says it is on-track to mass produce its first 10-nanometer FinFET processors by early 2017.
TSMC announced this week that its 10-nanometer technology remains on schedule, according to DigiTimes. The news comes a day after Intel revealed that its own 10-nanometer process has been delayed until the second half of 2017.
The timeframe for the TSMC 10nm chips means the new process isn’t likely to be available for use by Apple until possibly the “iPhone 7s,” which is three generations from now.
The A8 chips Apple uses in its current flagship iOS device is fabricated using a 20-nanometer process. A recent report indicated TSMC and Samsung were kicking off mass production of the A9 chip for use in Apple’s next-generation of devices in the fall. Rumors suggest the A9 will use a 14-nanometer process.
