Korea's IT website, The Elec, reported today (behind a pay wall), that Apple has ordered M5 chips from TSMC. The production of related chips is expected to start in the second half of 2025 (next year), and the first batch of devices equipped with M5 chips may be available at the end of 2025 or early 2026.

The M5 series is expected to be produced using TSMC's 3nm process technology. Although TSMC is already able to provide a more advanced 2nm process, Apple has reportedly decided not to use 2nm mainly due to cost.

TSMC'S M5 chip is said to still have significant improvements over the current M4. This is because the chip will use SoIC packaging technology, which was first introduced in 2018 and can stack chips into a three-dimensional structure, thereby achieving better thermal management, lower current leakage and better electrical performance.

According to IT Home, Apple also plans to deploy the M5 chip into its AI server infrastructure to enhance the capabilities of "Apple-branded AI."