Supply chain reports suggest Apple will continue to increase its use of TSMC's 3 nanometer wafers through 2024 with the M3 Ultra said to debut in a Mac Studio around the 2024 WWDC timeframe — but perhaps without a refreshed Mac Pro.

Apple shifted to the 3 nanometer process with M3 and A17 Pro in 2023. The process is almost exclusively owned by TSMC and may continue to be the case through 2024.

According to Trendforce, based on data from The Elec and a report from ICsmart, TSMC customers that include Apple will increase orders for second generation 3nm process wafers up to 80% utilization by the end of 2024. Apple will introduce new chips using the process later in 2024 like the M3 Ultra and A18 Pro.

The M3 Ultra is expected to be launched with an updated Mac Studio in the middle of the year.

The report doesn't make any specific mention of a Mac Pro using the chipset, however. It's not clear if this is an accidental omission, or an intentional statement.

This information appears to originate from the supply chain. It matches up with Apple's release pattern, and previous reports on the matter. The continued use of the 3nm process for the next year or so is probable — but we're less certain about no Mac Pro update in conjunction with a Mac Studio.

Apple surprised the world by introducing three M-series processors at once, and ahead of expected cadence during its "Scary Fast" event. The M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max were all revealed in late October 2023.

More Macs will likely be introduced with those processors before M3 Ultra is revealed. Given Apple's previous patterns, M3 Ultra will likely be announced during WWDC in June.

Source: AppleInsider