Apple Looks to the Future: The First 1.4 nm Chip is Already in the Works and Will Be Made by TSMC

Apple is among TSMC's main clients, although NVIDIA has now taken the top spot. The Cupertino company is working on its future, particularly on the upcoming chips that will enhance its products. Among the innovations on the way is the first SoC made using a 1.4 nm production process.

Apple's Plans for Future Chips

The new A20 Pro, debuting in 2026, and A21 Pro, which will be unveiled next year, will leverage a 2 nm node from TSMC (N2 and N2P, respectively). However, Apple is already looking to the future and focusing on the next step. During 2028, the debut of the first 1.4 nm chip, the new A22 Pro, is expected.

For all three mentioned chips, a base version is also planned (A20, A21, and A22) which should debut a few months later, following Apple's new strategy of launching the Pro models first (iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September) and then the base models (iPhone 18, set to launch in early 2027).

Apple is also preparing a slew of new iPhone chips, including an A22 Pro for 2028 that may be built on a 1.4 nanometer production process.

At this time, it is still early to evaluate what the actual performance and consumption improvements will be with TSMC's new node. It is certain that the 1.4 nm chips arriving on the market will be different. The Taiwanese company aims for diversification, thus trying not to rely on a single customer. For this reason, in addition to Apple, Qualcomm and NVIDIA may also utilize the 1.4 nm node in the early months of availability.