Qualcomm and Broadcom can rest easy, Apple would be forced to temporarily suspend the development of its modem to concentrate its forces on preparing the transition to 3 nm. An essential issue for the Cupertino giant.
Stop everything! At the beginning of the month, one of Apple’s oracles, Mark Gurman, announced that the Californian giant was working not only on its 4G/5G modem, but also on the next step, a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module, which would make it possible to no longer depend on a vendor, such as Broadcom. Today is the second haruspex from the bowels of Apple to speak.
Ming-Chi Kuo announces that Tim Cook’s teams would go on hiatus “for a while” this development.
An ambitious project, but not so urgent
For the record, this chip was only supposed to appear in the iPhone from late 2024 or early 2025, and gradually replace the wireless network modules purchased from Broadcom. While the 4G / 5G modem was to be introduced a little earlier. Perhaps in time to take its place in the iPhone 2024. Ultimately, Apple’s ambition is to merge these three network modules into a single chip. A way to save space and have more control over your supply chain.
Ming-Chi Kuo provides another clarification. Apple reportedly initially started work on a Wi-Fi-only chip, before moving on to a chip that combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. “Design-wise, developing a Wi-Fi+Bluetooth chip is much more difficult than just a Wi-Fi chip. Since most Apple products use a chip that combines the two, it would have been more difficult to replace the combination of Broadcom chips with its own chips, if Apple decided to do so. »explains the analyst.
For Ming-Chi Kuo, it would even be risky for Apple to use its own wireless chips in the next two to three years, even as standards are changing rapidly. Wi-Fi 6E is spreading and Wi-Fi 7 is already coming to some high-end devices. This transition could therefore still be entrusted to Broadcom, which is much more experienced in this area.
Need for specialized resources for the immediate future
However, according to the analyst at TF International Securities, technical difficulties are not the cause of this pause. Apple has another reason. He would like these chip design engineering teams to focus on the move to 3nm. This is to prepare for future Apple chips, probably starting with the A17 Bionic – which will power at least the iPhone 15 Pro, and possibly the M3, which could be announced in the second half of the year. TSMC, the privileged partner of Apple, has in fact inaugurated this process for mass production at the end of last December.
The move from 5nm to 3nm requires that the very structure of the chips be completely redesigned, which requires colossal work upstream of production. It is therefore impossible to apply the design of a chip like the M2 Pro, just unveiled, and burn it in 3 nm without modifications. Complex and expensive modifications. However, Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that Apple suffers “insufficient resources for development”. In other words, the Cupertino giant lacks arms, or the brain. It must be said that the market for engineers capable of designing chips is not only highly competitive, but also quite small.
In this context, it is logical that Apple suspends the development of its Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module and even its 4G/5G modem. In fact, the whole future of Apple Silicon chips and the technological advantage offered by 3 nm is at stake.
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