Madrid. (Portaltic/EP) – Apple and Intel are currently testing new processor designs with a three-nanometer process architecture developed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

The two US companies may be the first to develop processors with three-nanometer technology, and plan to start production in 2022 and launch them from the second half of the year, analyst Nikkei Asia reported.

TSMC is the current manufacturer of iPhone processors, with a five-nanometer architecture, and has a three-nanometer technology that allows a performance improvement of 10 to 15 percent and a reduction of power consumption between 35 and 15 percent. 30% compared to five nanometer processes.

In the case of Apple, according to Nikkei sources, iPad tablets will be the first to adopt TSMC’s three-nanometer technology, while the next generation of iPhones is expected to use an intermediate four-nanometer architecture.

For its part, chip maker Intel has at least two projects to create new three-nanometer processors with TSMC for laptops and data center servers.

In that case, new Intel chips will begin manufacturing in late 2022 at the earliest, with production volumes higher than Apple’s, according to Nikkei sources. The company has confirmed that it is working with TSMC for its 2023 chip catalog, but has not confirmed what technology they will use.