Apple 3nm chips to launch in 2023, sources claim

After launching the M1 and M1 Pro chips based on the 5nm process node, it seems Apple is now moving to newer process nodes. According to sources, Apple will be making the jump to 3nm for its second and third generation M-series processors over the next two years. 

The report comes from The Information (via 9to5Mac), which claims that Apple will rival the likes of AMD Ryzen Threadripper and Intel Xeon processors in the workstation segment with its higher core-count CPUs in about two years. However, we might already see a second-gen M-series SoC in 2022.

This alleged 2nd gen M-series SoC is said to be based on an enhanced TSMC N5 node, meaning it could either be N5P, N4 or N4P nodes. Moving to one of these nodes should translate into a small performance bump and higher efficiency, but nothing revolutionary. However, the report states that Apple might be developing an MCM (multi-chip module) design for its new SoCs.

As for the 3rd gen M-series chips (probably M3) are rumoured to be based on TSMC's N3 node, jumping to a whole different process node, meaning we might see a significant increase in transistor count. The report also claims this generation will feature three chips codenamed Ibiza, Lobos and Palma with up to 40x CPU cores distributed by four dies.

KitGuru says: It's clear that Intel and AMD have a new rival to look out for, with Apple making swift progress on delivering high performance processors. 

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