Next year we should start to see flagship smartphones move from using application processors (AP) made with the 3nm process node to those made at 2nm. This will result in the use of smaller Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors allowing more of them to fit inside an AP. Using vertical nanosheets stacked horizontally, GAA transistors surround the channel on all four sides reducing current leakage, improving the drive current, and enhancing the performance and energy efficiency of these SoCs.
We probably won’t see TSMC churning out 1.4nm components until 2028 at the earliest and at $45K, only TSMC’s most well-heeled customers will be able to afford it. Luckily for the world’s largest foundry, some of its largest customers might not think twice about shelling out such a sum for a silicon wafer. The firms include Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom.
Apple will probably be among the first to pay $30,000 for 2nm production. The A20 and A20 Pro APs powering the iPhone 18 series could be the first 2nm chipsets found inside the iPhone. When the time comes for TSMC to schedule 1.4nm production in a few years, you can be sure that Apple will pay the $45,000 price for silicon wafers. It might do so begrudgingly, but it will pay the higher price to keep the iPhone’s performance ahead of the rest of the pack.
