It may be a ways down the road, but Apple’s 2026 model iPhones are rumored to use TSMC’s next-generation 2-nanometer fabrication process in combination with a new packaging method that will integrate 12GB of RAM
In a Weibo post on Tuesday, Chinese-language user “Phone Chip Expert” said Apple’s A20 chip in iPhone 18 models will switch from the previous InFo (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging to WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module) packaging, while memory will be upgraded to 12GB.
The InFo packaging method allows for improved integrati0on of components such as memory within the package but also focuses more on single-die packaging where memory is typically attached to the main SoC (such as DRAM placed on top or near the CPU and GPU cores). This allows for the overall size to be reduced and for improvements in the performance of individual chips.
The WMCM packaging method excels at integrating multiple chips within the same package. This, in turn, allows more complex chips such as CPUs, GPUs, DRAM, and custom accelerators such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning chips to be tightly integrated into one package. This also offers greater flexibility in arranging different types of chips, stacking them vertically or placing them side by side, while also optimizing communication between them.
All current iPhone 16 models offer 8GB of RAM, which is considered to be the minimum requirement for the upcoming Apple Intelligence feature. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that he expects next year’s iPhone 17 Pro to feature 12GB of RAM, so it could be that Apple will make it a new standard across the succeeding iPhone 18 series.
Having said that, Kuo also believes that only “Pro” models in the iPhone 18 series are likely to use TSMC’s next-generation 2nm processor technology because of cost concerns. Meanwhile, it’s unknown as to whether the fabrication tech and the memory size are indelibly intertwined in Apple’s plans.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.