Tsmc To Start Mass Production Of Apple M2 Chips Soon

While Apple M1 Chip is currently being sorted into more devices gradually and, production of the successor should already start. According to new reports, TSMC is now starting mass production of the SoC called Apple M2 or M1X, which could be shipped from July 2021. As reported last year about 5 months ago that Apple would release M1X chip in 2021 the things are getting closer and closer.

The MacBook expected for the second half of Pro models could already benefit from the new Apple M2 chip ARM-based, on them since March in the Ge Ruech-te-ku-che is discussed. As the industry magazine Nikkei Asia reports, the production lines at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are now running at full speed. The production of the first batches suitable for series production should take about three months, which is why delivery is expected in July. Enough lead time for new Mac products that could be introduced in late summer or fall, among others.

More Memory More Cores

The improved 5-nanometer-plus process (N5P) is to be used to manufacture the Apple M2 or M1X. Technically, eight instead of the previous four performance cores in combination with still four efficiency cores are expected. The computing cores of the graphics unit (GPU) should even double from eight to 16 cores. At the same time, the maximum capacity for RAM is to be increased from 16 GB to 32 GB. Overall, a significant increase, if not a doubling of the performance compared to the Apple M1 is assumed.

Apple is likely to expand its high-end portfolio with the new processors. So far, the 16-inch versions of the MacBook Pro, the 27-inch iMac as well as the Mac Pro and iMac Pro models have lacked the right alternatives to the currently installed Intel CPUs. While Apple neither confirms nor commented on rumors of this kind, analysts assume that new macOS notebooks will be presented soon. In addition to faster M2 / M1X processors, an expansion of the connections (e.g. HDMI, card reader), a refreshed design, and a new 14-inch form factor are expected.