Apple M3 chip or the end of the year debut: using TSMC 3nm

In today's news, tipster Mark Gurman revealed that Apple will launch a 24-inch iMac at the end of 2023 at the earliest, and this new product will skip the M2 series chips and debut with Apple M3.

According to the leak, Apple's M3 chip will use TSMC's latest 3nm process, and this chip will be used not only in the iMac, but also in the MacBook Air and future 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini products that will debut later this year.

The TSMC 3nm process used in the Apple M3 is reportedly the most advanced chip process available today. Compared to the 5nm (N5) process, TSMC 3nm offers a 60% increase in logic density and a 30-35% reduction in power consumption at the same speed, and supports the innovative TSMC FINFLEX architecture.

With the FINFLEX architecture, designers can choose the best process configuration for these functional modules on the same chip, optimizing each module without affecting the others.

In summary, both in terms of PPA (power, performance, area), time-to-market and volume production, and by considering custom configurations based on FINFLEX technology from the outset, TSMC believes its N3 process node will be at the forefront of process technology, offering the broadest and most flexible design space for any product.