according to the latest industry updates, apple is accelerating its strategy for advancing the manufacturing process of its self-developed chips, mapping out a key technology upgrade roadmap spanning the next three years. currently confirmed is that apple will enter the 2-nanometer era in 2026, with the first devices featuring this technology being the iphone 18 pro series and the company’s first foldable-screen iphone. meanwhile, an even more aggressive 1.4-nanometer process is slated for deployment in 2028, potentially powering the next-generation flagship models and incorporating a mobile chip codenamed a22 pro—marking not only another leap forward in apple’s mobile chip manufacturing but also signaling a new strategic approach to optimizing both energy efficiency and ai computing performance.
at present, all of apple’s product lines are still manufactured using tsmc’s 3-nanometer process. with the transition to the 2-nanometer node in 2026, both performance density and power consumption control are expected to see significant improvements. furthermore, the 1.4-nanometer process set to launch in 2028 could deliver approximately 15% additional computational capability at the same power level, or reduce energy consumption by up to 30% while maintaining current performance levels. this advancement will directly enable cutting-edge features such as on-device large-model inference, real-time image reconstruction, and multi-modal interaction, further widening the technological gap between high-end smart devices.
however, scaling advanced manufacturing processes cannot be achieved through technological breakthroughs alone. as global ai infrastructure experiences explosive growth, capacity at 2 nanometers and below remains under sustained pressure, with leading foundries like tsmc operating their advanced production lines at full capacity for extended periods. apple has previously acknowledged that some high-end devices have faced delivery delays due to bottlenecks in advanced packaging and wafer supply. consequently, ensuring a stable supply of highly precise manufacturing processes has become a critical challenge that cannot be overlooked in apple’s chip strategy.
against this backdrop, apple is quietly expanding the boundaries of its foundry ecosystem. in addition to deepening its strategic partnership with tsmc, the company has initiated a substantive evaluation of intel’s foundry business. although the primary production capacity for the a22 pro will continue to be handled by tsmc, intel is expected to leverage its advanced packaging and customized manufacturing capabilities under its idm 2.0 strategy to take on certain non-core logic chip or specific functional module production tasks. this move not only strengthens supply chain resilience but also reflects apple’s deeper strategic positioning toward semiconductor self-sufficiency and greater control over its supply chain.
