Apple's go-to chipmaker TSMC unveils 1.6nm process for 2026 chips: Details

While the 1.6nm process is slated for 2026 chips, TSMC is set to kick off the production of the 2nm architecture process for debut in 2025 with Apple iPhones

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has unveiled its most advanced 1.6nm semiconductor process. Called the “A16”, the new chip process architecture will significantly improve the transistor density on the chip, compared to the current generation that is based on the company’s 3nm design (N3E).

TSMC said that chipsets based on the A16 process are planned for production in 2026, while chips based on the N2 process, the 2nm architectural design, are all set to debut in the second half of 2025.

According to the company, A16 architecture-based chips will provide up to 10 per cent speed improvement while being as power-efficient as chips based on its 2nm process. Additionally, TSMC said, the chips based on the new process will offer up to 20 per cent power reduction at the same speed, and improved chip density for data centre products.

Traditionally, Apple has been among the first companies to adopt TSMC’s top-of-the-line chip fabrication technologies. The Cupertino-based technology giant was the first to utilise TSMC’s 3nm design for its A17 Pro chip, which powers the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. Apple is likely to continue this trend in the future with TSMC’s 2nm and 1.6nm chip architectures.

Earlier this year, Korea’s DigiTimes Asia reported that Apple will be the first electronic manufacturer to receive chips built by TSMC’s 2nm process. The report also stated that TSMC has been increasing its production capacity in response to “significant customer orders”. With the company now confirming that the chips based on the 2nm process will start getting produced by the second half of 2025, Apple will likely bring some of those to its 2025 iPhone models.

For the uninitiated, the term nanometer refers to the size of an individual transistor within a processor. The smaller the size, the more tightly the transistors can be packed together on a chip, freeing up space to add more transistors. An increase in the number of transistors not only improves the processing performance of the chip but also its power efficiency.