Apple A20 chip will move to 2nm and bring the RAM inside

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Apple’s A20 chip, which likely will power the iPhone 18 Pro and folding iPhone, reportedly will use a new technology that integrates RAM inside the chip. Bringing the memory closer to the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine might provide significant boosts in performance, battery life and thermal efficiency.

The A20 also would be Apple’s first chip produced using the cutting-edge 2 nanometer process. Rumors that the die shrink would arrive this year now seem to be totally dead.

More details on the Apple A20 chip

As smartphones grow more capable, Apple’s push for chips that are both powerful and energy-efficient is crucial. The upcoming A20 chip should allow Apple to produce iPhones with faster processing speeds and better battery life, while packaged into increasingly slim designs. In a world where every milliwatt counts, Apple’s silicon ambitions are about far more than raw power. They’re about sustaining the future of mobile computing.

Apple’s A20 chip is expected to come in the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the first folding iPhone in September 2026. The entry-level iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e might not receive the A20 chip — and likely won’t arrive until spring 2027.

As a quick refresher (because the different numbers can get confusing), Apple currently sells the iPhone 16, which runs on an improved 3nm A18 chip. This fall, Apple will debut the iPhone 17 with a third-generation 3nm A19 chip. This latest rumor pertains to the iPhone 18 generation, coming in fall 2026.

While Apple designs its own silicon, all of its chips are manufactured by the Taiwan Semiconductor Company, aka TSMC.

The RAM is coming from inside the house

According to Jeff Pu, analyst at GF Securities, the A20 will use TSMC’s new wafer-level multi-chip module (WMCM) technology. This allows for multiple different dies and components to be integrated into a single package.

Apple will use the WMCM process to integrate the RAM inside the chip, alongside the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine. Currently, the RAM is a separate chip next to the A18.

This could further improve memory performance, thermal efficiency and battery life on the iPhone 18 lineup.

Apple’s first move to 2 nanometers

The A20 chip will be Apple’s first to use TSMC’s 2nm process. More advanced processes, with smaller and smaller die sizes, put more transistors on the chip and improve performance.

The A20, according to previous reports, might run 15% faster with 30% greater power efficiency.

If the pattern of the last few years holds steady, the M6 generation of larger, more powerful chips will also fabricated on the 2nm process. The M-series chips are used in Macs, mid- to high-end iPads and the Vision Pro headset. These products might be announced in late 2026 and throughout 2027.