TSMC has started manufacturing processors for this year's iPhones

Bloomberg reported this morning that starting this week, TSMC (which is Apple's exclusive partner in this regard) has begun manufacturing processors for the upcoming iPhones that Apple will unveil at its September keynote. Thus, the annual cycle is repeated, when the production of the first components for new iPhones starts precisely at the turn of May and June.

Let's recall what we actually know about the new processors. We can say with complete certainty that they will bear the name A12, as Apple follows a numerical sequence for its processor designs. The novelty will most likely get another nickname (such as A10 Fusion or A11 Bionic). However, no one knows yet what it will be like. The new processors will be manufactured using an advanced 7nm manufacturing process (compared to 10nm in the case of the A11 Bionic). From this, we can expect further improvements in operating characteristics such as a reduction in consumption or an eventual increase in performance. Thanks to a more advanced manufacturing process, the chip itself will be smaller compared to its predecessor, which in theory will free up some space inside the phone.

Both TSMC and Apple have understandably not commented on the news. TSMC started the initial production of 7nm chips back in April, but it was an introductory operation, which was supposed to turn into a full-fledged one in the last few weeks. As the number of processors produced increases, so does the chance that the first benchmarks will appear on the web (just as the frequency of various leaks associated with the fact that real work on the new iPhones will begin to increase). We could thus get the first ideas about the performance within the next two months.

Source: Bloomberg