Apple’s A20 SoC Based On TSMC’s 2nm N2 Process To Feature A New Design With Advanced WMCM Packaging That Integrates RAM With The Processor, Enhancing Performance, Power Efficiency, And Thermals
The iPhone 17 lineup is still months away from being announced, and we have already started hearing details on next year’s iPhone 18 lineup. A prominent analyst has now shared key details related to the internals of the iPhone 18 Pro models and the iPhone 18 Fold, suggesting that the devices will house a 2nm A20 chip based on a new WMCM packaging design.
Apple’s A20 chip uses TSMC’s 2nm N2 process and advanced WMCM packaging to enhance performance and power efficiency
The company’s 20th anniversary iPhone is expected to bring a slew of front-facing changes, including a new display that will melt on all four sides to give more of a futuristic look and feel. The company will also bring a boatload of changes internally, including the chips that will power the device. According to Jeff Pu from GF Securities, next year’s iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone 18 Fold will be equipped with a new A20 chip, and the analyst believes that the chip will feature key design changes over the current A18 and A19 chips.
The A20 chip will be Apple’s first SoC to use TSMC’s 2nm node, which will bring enhanced computational and graphical performance to the iPhone 18 Pro models. Currently, the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro models is fabricated on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, but the transition to the 2nm process would allow the chips to house more transistors, allowing the devices to bring improved performance to the table, potentially beating the competition in graphical output as well.
Based on prior reports, the jump from 3nm to 2nm chips would bring about 15 percent performance gains to the lineup while being 30 percent more power efficient than this year’s A19 Pro chips in the iPhone 17 Pro models. Additionally, the A20 chip will be built on TSMC’s N2 process, which means that the supplier will shift from FinFET to GAA nanosheet transistors to deliver better performance and efficiency through improved electrostatic control. The transistor density could increase from around 1.1x to 1.15x compared to the N3E process, which is used in the current A18 Pro chips.
While the nanometer count is TSMC’s marketing term for the chips, it does not reflect the actual measurements. This is not the first time that we have heard details on TSMC’s transition to 2nm architecture, as Ming-Chi Kuo has also previously mentioned the same direction for the iPhone. Other than this, Pu also notes that the A20 chips will use TSMC’s new Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module or WMCM packaging technology. With the new packaging technique, the supplier will be able to integrate RAM directly onto the A20 chip’s wafer with the CPU, GPU, and the Neural Engine. Currently, the RAM is connected to the processor with a silicon interposer.
This will bring various benefits to the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone 18 Fold, including better performance for multitasking, Apple Intelligence, and also contribute to better battery life. Furthermore, the change will also bring various improvements to the thermal system to keep the device cool over long sessions. Additionally, this could also result in a smaller overall chip size compared to current chips, allowing space to be freed inside the iPhone, which could be put to better use.
Apple will launch the iPhone 18 Pro models and iPhone 18 Fold with the new A20 chip next year in September, and it will be a major addition for the new models. Share your expectations with us in the comments below.
