Apple Produces 3nm Chips For IPhone And Mac, Intel Is Getting Left Behind

Apple will reportedly use a more sophisticated 5nm process for its second-generation Mac chips. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Apple seems to be rocking Intel again thanks to its 3 nanometers (nm) chip. These two companies often compete in the chip business.

Apple's M1 chip marked the beginning of the end of Apple's relationship with Intel, and Intel was shaken. According to the latest The Information report, Apple is rumored to be working on the next two generations of silicon Macs.

The M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max chips are all made with a 5nm process. Apple will reportedly use a more advanced 5nm process for its second-generation Mac chips which are expected to be seen in 2022.

Some enhanced 5nm chips can feature two prints and will double the performance of Mac computers on which Apple installs them. Apple could make waves in 2023 with the introduction of its first 3nm chip.

Reporting from BGR, Saturday, November 6, sources say that Apple and TSMC are teaming up to produce a 3nm chip for Mac that can feature up to four dies and 40 CPU cores. Apple is also claimed to have named its three third-generation processors Ibiza, Lobos, and Palma.

Still with the same source, that Apple's third-generation chips will easily outperform future Intel processors for consumer PCs. Analysts say that Intel's chips in 2023 won't be able to challenge Apple's processors.

Then How Can Intel Compete?

None of this is good news for Intel. For now, the chipmaker is sticking with the Alder Lake processor. Where the Geekbench 5 results of the Core i9-12900K processor destroy the M1 Pro and M1 Max. The Core i9 has an average multi-core score of around 18,500, while the M1 Pro and M1 Max hover around 12,500. Intel's new chips may consume more power but are still faster than Apple's flagship computer chips.

Lastly, the report also notes that Apple is planning to switch to a 3nm process for its iPhone 2023 chip as well which it claims to be the iPhone 14. However, it looks like the iPhone will still be using legacy chips on the 5nm process.

Because not long ago, it was reported that TSMC could not complete the 3nm chip on time. TSMC's 3nm processor will allow the iPhone 14 to consume less energy, and create better battery life without needing to increase the size.

Keeping the iPhone 14 stuck on legacy chips will cause some customers to delay upgrading their devices for another year and give Apple's competitors a little more time to catch up.