Apple's new MacBook Pro laptops: were TSMC 3nm chips, now 5nm instead

Apple's next-gen MacBook Pro laptops were expected to shine brightly, with the laptops packing Apple's in-house M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs that were meant to be made on TSMC's new 3nm process node... well, that might not be happening.

The new Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs were being built by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) to be used in the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, but according to insider Ming-Chi Kuo, the new CPUs for these MacBook Pro laptops will enter mass production in Q4 2022.

Kuo tweeted that given TSMC's guidance that the "3nm will contribute revenue starting in 1H23, processors of 14" and 16" MacBook Pro models may still adopt the 5nm advanced node". Translation: TSMC's new 3nm process node isn't shaping up so well, so they have to make Apple's new M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs on the 5nm advanced node instead.

I mean, it was only under two months ago now that I was reporting that Apple had reportedly booked TSMC to make its next-gen M2 Pro, M2 Max, and upcoming M3 SoCs on their new 3nm process node. In early June 2022, I was writing that Apple's new M2 Pro + M2 Max SoCs would be made on TSMC's new 3nm process node, and would release later this year. I guess that has now changed, and TSMC is the issue here: more specifically, their new 3nm process node. 5nm seems to be fine, 6nm seems to be fine.