Apple will adopt 3nm-etched chips in 2023, most notably with the iPhone 15 Pro A17. But the group could very well be just among other tech giants.
Qualcomm and MediaTek, which make the processors for Android smartphones (and other devices), aren’t yet sure if they want to follow Apple’s footsteps and start making 3nm chips in 2023. “unclear sales prospects for Android devices” according to the information of Digitimes.
The uncertain market prospects for non-Apple devices and the manufacturing cost of 3nm etching, which already exceeds $20,000 per wafer, will likely discourage vendors from entering this market.
Both Qualcomm and MediaTek are “trapped in a dilemma about whether to follow Apple’s update process in 2023”, explains Digitimes. Qualcomm is the larger group of the two as they deal with the Snapdragon chips found in the vast majority of Android smartphones. Apple also uses Qualcomm for its iPhones, but only for the network chip and not the processor.
By itself, Qualcomm could be forced to enter this market more or less quickly if its partner Samsung is to face competition from Apple in the high-end smartphone market.
In addition to the A17, Apple is expected to use 3nm etching on the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in future 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. To deal with the production is TSMC, a longtime partner of Apple.
