Apple is claimed to have upped its order of next-generation chips from TSMC to between 90 million and 100 million models, following heightened demand expectations for its iPhone 16 sequence.
Final 12 months’s preliminary chip order quantity for the iPhone 15 sequence launch is believed to have been within the area of 80-90 million models, suggesting Apple is anticipating larger demand for its 2024 units, in accordance with Taiwanese outlet CTEE.
The arrival of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 is predicted to spice up preliminary gross sales of the units. One of many causes is that Apple Intelligence requires a minimum of an iPhone 15 Professional to run, which suggests homeowners of final 12 months’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will miss out on Apple’s new AI options until they improve to an iPhone 15 Professional or plump for one of many iPhone 16 fashions.
Final 12 months, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus had been outfitted with the A16 Bionic chip – the identical chip that was within the iPhone 14 Professional fashions – whereas the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max featured an A17 Professional chip manufactured utilizing TSMC’s second-generation 3nm course of, also called “N3E.” N3E is cheaper and has improved yield in comparison with the previous-generation N3B, in accordance with TSMC.
This 12 months, all 4 fashions within the iPhone 16 lineup are anticipated to make use of A18-branded chips manufactured utilizing the N3E course of. Regardless of switching to N3E, the A18 chip within the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus is more likely to undertake the A17 Professional design that was used within the iPhone 15 Professional fashions. In the meantime, the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max will seemingly use a chip branded as an “A18 Professional,” which might characteristic an upgraded Neural Engine with extra cores enabling improved AI/machine studying efficiency.
The usual iPhone 16 fashions is also upgraded with 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB within the iPhone 15 fashions. That may see all 4 iPhone 16 fashions providing 8GB of RAM, which Apple has instructed is a minimal requirement for operating large-language fashions (the algorithms that energy AI) regionally on system, somewhat than within the cloud.
Based mostly on earlier years, Apple is predicted to launch the iPhone 16 sequence within the fall, round mid-September. For extra data, remember to test our devoted iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional roundups.
