There are still more than nine months until the iPhone 16 will probably be released in the fall of 2024, but we have heard the first news about the chipset that will most likely be used in the iPhone 17. That's very good news if you're looking for silicon that promises big performance gains.

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) manufactures the chipsets that Apple is designing for the iPhone, and according to a report in the Financial Times, the chip foundry recently demonstrated its upcoming 2nm chips to Apple executives. In its article, TSMC confirmed the meeting and said the chip is "progressing well and on track for volume production in 2025." The company added that the upcoming chip is the "most advanced" to date and will deliver industry-leading "energy efficiency" at launch.

Assuming TSMC meets its 2025 target for 2nm chips, its silicon will be in the iPhone, which Apple will launch that fall. If TSMC follows its current naming convention, the 2025 iPhone 17 will debut with a 2nm chipset.

Given the context of this development, the A17 Pro silicon in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is the first 3nm chip for cell phones; the move from a 3nm process to a 2nm process means a denser chip, with transistors more With A17 already setting the pace in cell phone benchmarks, the 2nm chips TSMC is working on will be the numbers to make another leap forward.

While this is good news for Apple and its users, the Financial Times notes that TSMC is not the only chipmaker considering a 2nm future.

Samsung Foundry also confirmed to the Financial Times that it plans to manufacture 2nm chips and make them available for smartphones, possibly the Galaxy S26, in 2025. Intel is also working on a sub-2nm technology called 18A. If Intel is successful in chipset manufacturing, the company plans to offer 1.8nm chips, ostensibly a slight power boost over the chips currently manufactured by Samsung and TSMC.

But with two years to go before mass production, it is difficult to say which technology will ultimately prevail. Because of its relationship with Apple, TSMC is currently the leading manufacturer of mobile chips. But that could change if the company faces production problems, design deviations, or other manufacturing issues. The same can be said for Intel and Samsung. Designing and manufacturing such a small chip is no easy task. And if any one thing goes wrong, everything will be put on the back burner.

In any case, keep an eye on 2nm. If all goes well, we may have more power than ever in just two short years.