Apple does not trust Samsung to manufacture 2 nm chips

Apple was unable to secure the entire initial production capacity of TSMC's 2nm manufacturing process, which will be available in the coming months. As a result, the Cupertino-based company is evaluating alternatives, although at this time, Samsung and its new 2nm GAA process appear to be excluded from Apple's plans, which instead relies on the Korean company to provide memory chips.

What will Apple do with 2nm chips?

Apple chip

Apple plans to launch four new chips based on TSMC's 2-nanometer (2nm) technology by 2026, which will represent a major breakthrough in terms of performance and energy efficiency. These chips will include:

A20 and A20 Pro: for the iPhone 18 series, with a 10-18% increase in performance or a 30-36% reduction in energy consumption compared to 3nm chips.

M6: for Macs, offering significant improvements in performance and energy efficiency.

R2: a coprocessor for the next generation of Apple Vision Pro, which will improve efficiency in augmented reality tasks.

In addition, Apple will adopt an innovative packaging technology called Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM), which will allow components such as CPU, GPU, and memory to be integrated into a single chip, reducing size and increasing efficiency.

Apple technology

Apple does not trust Samsung to manufacture its chips due to past quality and efficiency issues. In 2015, Apple split production of its A9 chip between TSMC and Samsung, but Samsung's chips proved to be less efficient and more prone to overheating.

Why does Apple not trust Samsung?

Past quality issues

Differences in energy efficiency

Risk of dependence on a competitor

What is Apple doing about it?

It has reserved half of TSMC's 2nm production for its A20 and A20 Pro chips.

It is exploring options with other manufacturers, such as Intel.

Samsung is working on improving its 2nm technology with the Exynos 2600, but Apple remains cautious.