While many of us are still wrapping heads around the arrival of 3nm chips, the race for 2nm between Apple and Samsung is heating up. Samsung previously fell behind Apple in the adoption of 3nm chips, with Apple debuting with the iPhone 15 Pro series last year. This time, Samsung would have hoped to leap ahead of Apple, but the odds don’t seem to favor the South Korean giant.
Apple is more likely to win the 2nm race against Samsung
According to Taiwanese outlet Commercial Times, TSMC is gearing up to begin design work on its 2nm process as early as the first quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, Apple and Nvidia are tipped to be among the first customers for TSMC’s 2nm chips. If reports hold true, Apple will outpace Samsung once again by becoming TSMC’s first 2nm chip customer. This would edge out Samsung supplier Qualcomm, which produces Snapdragon chips.
Even so, Apple’s rollout of 2nm chips may not happen before 2026. Some rumors also suggest that these chips could debut in the iPhone 17 Pro series next year. But what happens remains to be seen.
TSMC achieves a strong yield rate for 2nm chips
TSMC has reportedly achieved a 60% yield rate for its 2nm chips, surpassing early estimates. This sets the stage for mass production to kick off as early as next year.
In related news, Samsung has refuted rumors suggesting it has abandoned work on 2nm and smaller nodes. The company confirmed that it remains committed to advancing its chip manufacturing processes. Although Samsung Foundry had quite a rough journey lately, it seems to be actively working on addressing shortcomings. And staying in the game.
As the race for 2nm dominance continues, it’s clear that Apple and TSMC currently hold the upper hand, leaving Samsung with plenty of catching up to do.
