iPhone 12’s 5nm A14 chipsets to go into production in Q2 2020

iPhone 12’s 5nm A14 chipsets to go 

“The A14 chipset for iPhone 12 series will be based on the 5nm process and is said to be about 15 per cent more powerful than the A13 Bionic chipset”

iPhone 12 is among the most highly anticipated smartphones of 2020 thanks to the notch-less design it is rumoured to debut with. One of the less talked about aspects of the iPhone 12 series is the processor, which will reportedly be fabricated on the smallest-yet 5nm process. Now, according to a report from DigiTimes, citing China’s Commercial Times, TSMC will be solely responsible for making the A14 chipset for the iPhone 12 series. The production is expected to start in Q2 2020 and will launch in Q3 2020. The A14 chipset will use the TSMC’s 5nm process and it could be the first to hit the market with a 5nm chipset.

Apple orders are expected to take up to two-third of TSMC’s capacity. Huawei’s HiSilicon division is said to be the other contender for the TSMC’s 5nm production. The Mate 40 lineup, which is expected to be powered by the Kirin 1000 series chipset, will also use the 5nm process.

The new 5nm A14 chipset for iPhone 12 based should be more power-efficient compared to the A13 Bionic chipset. Reports suggest that it will have a tightly compacted setup of transistors, which would be as much as 80 per cent compared to the transistor density on chipsets based on 7nm EUV process. The A14 chipset is said to be about 15 per cent more powerful than the A13 Bionic. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the Apple A14 chipset just yet, but we could come across more details soon.

Separately, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) had kickstarted the research and development of the 2nm process. The same is expected to enter mass production in 2024 at the Southern Science and Technology Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan factory. TSMC says that it will be the first company in the world to announce the start of research and development of the 2nm process. However, the process details have not been disclosed yet.