TSMC opens the door to a 6-nanometer Apple A14 processor for the 2020 iPhone

Apple has spent years distributing processor orders between two major manufacturers. The Americans designed and built TSMC when Samsung did not , although there were also shared orders. However, the latest generations have been solely Taiwanese and each step forward of their production lines has resulted in improvements for Apple AX mounted on iPhone and iPad .

Everything points to that for the Apple A13, the generation that touches in this 2018, will be repeated with the seven-nanometer process used last year although with some improvement, such as extreme ultraviolet lithography. They call it N7 Pro behind the scenes, but these seven nanometers can last very little. TSMC has slipped to the media that already has six-nanometer processors , and that opens the door to an Apple A14 in 2020 in that size.

18% more density, one nanometer less
Process N6, they have called it in TSMC. A name to define the new processor manufacturing process, which manages to reduce the transistors a nanometer more, reaching up to six nanometers and announcing that they may be in production in the first quarter of 2020. The just date for the Apple A14 can get built on this technology.

The rumors about an Apple A14 five-nanometer seems to have to wait at least another year, although Samsung itself has already reported that its five-nanometer process is ready. If in this year Samsung has remained in eight with the Exynos 9820 , behind the competition , maybe in 2020 the tables will be reversed .

With the procedure of six nanometers can be reused part of seven, lowering costs
TSMC account that this process is quite economical since it can reuse part of the equipment of seven nanometers . With it, TSMC ensures it can build not only processors but also 4G and 5G modems, network equipment, graphics and all kinds of electronic components.

With the new six-nanometer construction procedure, TSMC will be able to build processors 18% denser than the Apple A12 Bionic, the latest chip designed by Apple and released from its factories. So, we expect an Apple A13 Bionic for this 2019 and an Apple A14 Bionic for 2020 . There will be time to measure powers when you are on the street. But above all, to know if that will be the last name chosen.