Apple Silicon: TSMC may have begun building the M2 Pro chips

The M2 and M1 chip stand side by side at WWDC

A bubble of speculation claiming Apple may put more clear, blue water between its pro and less pro products emerged in recent weeks. Now we learn Apple’s contracted Apple Silicon chip manufacturer, TSMC, will begin mass production of 3nm M2 Pro processors later this year. What’s the story, and what does it mean?

What’s the story?

Apple only just introduced the first M2 chips at WWDC 2022.

These are manufactured using 5nm process technology, despite which they deliver incredibly impressive performance at low energy.

The first two M2 products, the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, seem incredibly impressive and will no doubt continue to sell in record numbers once they do eventually become available in July.

As reported by 9to5Mac, Jeff Pu of Haitong Intl Tech Research now says Apple’s TSMC is on the verge of beginning to make the next best chip, M2 Pro.

That chip, he claims, will be a 3nm processor that will support more cores than the existing M1 Pro chip, which has already impressed everyone with its performance data. The time frame he’s discussing suggests Apple may introduce the first systems equipped with the M2 Pro chips late this year, though there’s no guarantee to that.

Apple CEO Tim Cook with a line of M2 Macs at the Steve Jobs Theatre at WWDC 2022.

What does it mean?

We may or may not see M2 Pro products to this schedule. But, if Pu is correct, when we do it seems far less probable we will ever see an M1 style Mac Pro, with an M2 variant seeming far more likely, given the time scales at play here. (I find this confusing, but I’m sure Apple will have a narrative to make it make sense).

The fact that Apple has managed to transition its Mac business to Apple Silicon chips and has already managed to create four and soon five variants of its processor shows the depth of the company’s commitment to its architectures.

It also hints at a divergent path between Apple’s highest end products and its entry level ones, with next-generation chips at the top end and incrementally improved processors at the other.

Clear blue water with Apple silicon

Apple, speculation claims, will reflect this in its iPhones, further putting blue water between its pro iPhones and the rest.

We’ll also see iPads become increasingly powerful and while remaining distinctive in their difference, we can anticipate Apple’s holistic platform experience becoming far more unified across a range of different touch points. iPad, iPhone, Mac or glasses, you’ll use the platform you choose but still get to have an Apple experience.

Now, I don’t know to what extent most of this is true, but it sure does impress me that bit by bit and year by year, Apple is building its own competition: itself.

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