Apple Forgoes 2nm Fabrication For M5 Chip Due To High Costs, Opts For TSMC’s System-On-Integrated-Chip Technology; Mass Production Begins Late 2025

Apple’s M4 chip was unveiled with the launch of the OLED iPad Pro models back in April, and the company has gradually introduced the M4 Pro and M4 Max variants of the chipset recently. The M4 Pro and M4 Max boast impressive performance gains over the M3 chip, and it only brings us to question what performance gains can we expect with the M5 chip. Apple has now ordered M5 chips from TSMC ahead of 2025 production plans.

Apple has already ordered M5 chips from TSMC for iPad Pro and Macs, but mass production is slated to begin in the second half of 2025

According to a new report from The Elec, Apple has already ordered M5 chips for iPad Pro and Macs from TSMC, which will deliver enhanced computational and graphical performance. The M5 chips are slated to feature enhanced ARM architecture and will be fabricated on TSMC’s advanced 3nm process technology. The company’s current M4 chips are also built on the 3nm process, but the forthcoming variants will bring additional performance gains.

Apple has ditched 2nm technology for the M5 chip, possibly due to its cost, and it will wait another year or so to adopt it for the M and A series of chips for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac (via MacRumors). However, this does not necessarily mean that the M5 chip will not be an upgrade over the existing M4 chip in terms of performance, and the company will achieve this feat using TSMC’s System on Integrated Chip technology or SoIC.

Apple has deepened its partnership with TSMC for its next-generation hybrid SoIC packaging that uses thermoplastics carbon fiber composite molding technology. This 3D chip-stacking method will allow the chips to improve their thermal management and minimize electrical leakages compared to the traditional 2D design. The new chips allegedly entered a small-scale trial production phase back in July, and if there are no technical issues involved, the supplier will move to the next phase.

Apple is eager to bring M5 chips to the iPad and Macs starting next year, and as mentioned, the chips will bolster enormous gains in performance while being more power efficient. The chips will enter the mass production stage in the second half of 2025, which means that the company could skip the iPad Pro upgrade in the Spring and reserve the upgrade for later next year or in the Spring of 2026.

The MacBook Pro models could be the first devices to get Apple’s M5 chip, while the M5 MacBook Air models are slated to launch in the Spring of 2026. There is a chance that the M5 iPad Pro models will launch alongside the M5 MacBook Pro models, but the final word rests with Apple, so be sure to take the news with a grain of salt.

Apple also plans to use the M5 chip in its AI server infrastructure to bolster premium Apple Intelligence features, which could be in the works. It was recently reported that the company is working on LLM Siri, a new large language model for the company’s digital assistant, which will replace ChatGPT integration. The entirely new Siri will be available to users in the Spring of 2026. While it is too early to draw conclusions, Apple has big plans for Apple Intelligence, and having raw power from the M5 chips could open new doors for the company.