Apple to delay 2nm chips for 2026 as TSMC struggles with yield

According to reports in South Korea, Apple plans to launch the iPhone 17 Pro using a 2nm chipset in 2025, but the plan may have to be delayed by 12 months.

According to the latest news from industry insiders, TSMC is encountering difficulties in wafer yield, and 2nm chips have not yet been certified for mass production. Demand for the test product was so great that the Taiwanese manufacturer was forced to adapt its existing facilities to the new process, which took time.

TSMC specializes in making chips for Apple devices such as iPhones and MacBooks, but the Taiwanese company also serves other high-profile customers such as Nvidia and Qualcomm. The two companies are said to be in talks with Samsung Electronics to expand production to Korean foundries if tensions in Taiwan worsen.

TSMC currently produces 10,000 wafers per month and plans to expand to 80,000 wafers in 2026.

TSMC’s semiconductor manufacturing plant in Phoenix, Arizona

Taiwan’s Economic Daily reported that 2nm wafer yield reaches 60%showing that 40% of each wafer is unusable. The production cost of a wafer is 44 million won (approximately US$30,000). Due to defects in the new process, TSMC actually loses US$120 million per month.

The solution is simple – Apple will continue to use the 3 nm process for another year, allowing TSMC to increase yields and improve pricing. Samsung also faces challenges – the South Korean company needs to increase the production and performance of its 2-nanometer chips, which have lagged behind its main rivals in Taiwan.

source (Korean language)