Apple 3nm processor on the way: less is more?
Apple is working on a processor that works with a 3nm process, which we can expect in 2022. What does this mean for the likely next-generation processors?
If there is one thing you can apply to many things: more is better. Having more money is better than having little money and more computing power in your processor is always good. However, Apple announces that the next generation of processors will drop from 5nm to 3nm. Techies know that smaller is better here.
Apple 3nm processor for 2022
Let’s start with the facts. Based on a report from DigiTimes, MacRumors reports that Apple is planning processors with a 3nm process, instead of 5nm as it is now. 3nm is not yet commonplace so that would be a big step forward. But from 5 to 3, that sounds like a downgrade. Don’t be misled: it actually makes the chips more efficient and therefore better.
Smaller = better?
If you are experienced with processors you can skip this part, but the bottom line is this. Nm stands for nanometer and in the modern world this doesn’t mean anything concrete anymore when it comes to the chips themselves. It’s all about the transistor density and the smaller the number nm, the smaller the density and the more efficient the chip works. In theory, this does not mean that the chip will become more powerful, but relatively speaking it does. With a smaller nm number, the processor needs less power to function and thus works more efficiently. That’s the short version.
New chips
What it means in concrete terms is that the current array of Apple processors, A14 and M1, work at 5nm. 3nm for the new Apple processor can provide a 10 percent increase in power and a 20 percent increase in efficiency. This would take effect on the A15 and upgraded M1 processors that we will see in 2022.
3 and 4nm
Other rumors say that an Apple processor with 3nm is only the M1. The A15 chip for the iPhone 14 would be an upgrade with 4nm. It’s an interesting technique, but we’ll have to wait and see how it’s put into the products.
