Apple M4 Chip Production Shifts to TSMC N3E Technology

Apple has once again pushed the boundaries of technology with the unveiling of its latest innovation - the Apple M4 chip. This cutting-edge processor boasts a 10-core CPU with a staggering 28 billion transistors, setting a new standard for performance and efficiency in the world of mobile devices.

The Apple M4 represents a significant leap forward in CPU design, featuring up to four powerful performance cores and six efficient cores. Built on TSMC’s N3E second-generation 3nm process technology, this chip is optimized for energy efficiency, delivering unparalleled performance while minimizing power consumption.

One of the key highlights of the M4 is its enhanced architecture, which includes improvements to the ARM instruction set architecture (ISA). The chip features advanced branch prediction capabilities, wider decode and execution engines for the performance cores, and a deeper execution engine for the efficiency cores. Additionally, both types of cores are equipped with next-generation ML accelerators, further enhancing their capabilities.

Compared to its predecessor, the M2, which featured 20 billion transistors and was built on TSMC’s 5nm N5P process, the M4 offers a 1.5x increase in CPU performance while consuming half the power. This remarkable improvement underscores Apple's commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation and delivering best-in-class technology to its users.

On the graphics front, the M4 continues to impress with its 10 GPU cores, which now support hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This feature enables more realistic shadows and reflections in games and other visually intensive applications, providing users with a truly immersive experience.

The M4 is currently being utilized in the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the Apple iPad Pro, both of which feature stunning OLED screens that showcase the full capabilities of this powerful chip. The Media Engine of the M4 is a standout feature, offering support for popular video codecs such as H.264, HEVC, and ProRes, with hardware acceleration for AV1 - a first for the iPad.

According to Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, "The power-efficient performance of M4, along with its new display engine, makes the thin design and game-changing display of iPad Pro possible, while fundamental improvements to the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and memory system make M4 extremely well suited for the latest applications leveraging AI."

In terms of design, the iPad Pro has been enhanced with the use of graphite sheets and copper in the Apple logo, improving the thermal performance of the device by 20%. This ensures that the M4 chip can deliver peak performance without compromising on user experience.

Furthermore, the iPad Pro comes equipped with a USB-C connector that supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, as well as WiFi 6E and 5G cellular connectivity via an eSIM. These features ensure that users can enjoy lightning-fast data transfer speeds and seamless connectivity on the go.

With the introduction of the Apple M4 chip, Apple has once again raised the bar for innovation in the mobile technology space. The combination of cutting-edge hardware and software enhancements promises to deliver a truly exceptional user experience, setting a new standard for performance and efficiency in the world of mobile computing.

For more information, visit www.apple.com