Do you remember who TSMC’s first customers were when it started to produce chips using its 5nm node? The year was 2020 and the pair were the foundry’s largest two customers. You probably know that Apple was (and remains) TSMC’s largest customer but can you guess the other company? I’ll give you a hint. It’s name rhymes with “Ga-way.” That’s right, Apple and Huawei were TSMC’s largest customers in 2020 which is when the pair were the first to have the Taiwan-based foundry supply them with 5nm silicon.
This was before U.S. sanctions made it impossible for Huawei to source cutting-edge semiconductors from most foundries.
By 2027, major foundries will turn from the 2nm process node to 1.4nm. | Image credit-TSMC
Since jumping to a new node typically means the use of smaller transistors, more of them should be able to fit inside a 2nm chip making it more powerful and energy-efficient than 3nm silicon. But there is more. At 2nm, TSMC will debut its Gate-All-Around transistors which use vertically placed horizontal nanosheets to surround the channel, through which electrical current flows, on all four sides. This lowers the opportunity for current leaks and improves the drive current.
Thanks in part to Gate-All-Around transistor architecture, reports say that the A20/A20 Pro APs will deliver a 15% hike in performance while running at the same power level. This would indicate that the application processors, in this case the A20 and A20 Pro, are more efficient than their predecessors (the A19 and A19 Pro). With a chip that delivers better performance without having to consume more energy, users of the iPhone 18 series powered by the A20/A20 Pro shouldn’t have to worry about shorter battery life or overheating issues.
