Yahoo Finance Apple's next-gen 'M2' Mac processor has reportedly gone into production
It could arrive as early as July in time for next-gen MacBooks.
Apple's successor to its M1 Apple Silicon chip could arrive in MacBook computers by the second half of this year, according to a report from Nikkei. Tentatively known as M2, the processor has reportedly gone into production and could start shipping by July 2021.
The chipsets will be produced by fab giant TSMC using its latest technology, known as 5-nanometer plus (N5P). Production of the chipsets will reportedly take at least three months. As before, the M2 would be a complete system-on-a-chip, with CPU, GPU and AI processors all integrated.
Apple now produces MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and, most recently, 24-inch iMac computers using M1 chipsets. However, the majority of models, including 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs, 13- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro still run on Intel CPUs. Its original plan was to phase out Intel chipsets within two years, which would be around the end of 2022.
The next models rumored to arrive will be 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros — expected in Q2 or Q3 of 2021. Apple may also release a smaller Mac Pro with its own silicon sometime in 2021 or 2022, according to Bloomberg.
