Apple set to sell Macs using own chips starting in 2021

According to Bloomberg, the tech company is working on three of its own Mac processors known as systems-on-a-chip.The first of these will be much faster than the processors in the iPhone and iPad, sources cited by the newswire said.

The manufacturer is preparing to release at least one Mac model with one of these three chips, said Bloomberg’s source. The same source also suggested that the company will transition more of its Mac lineup away from its current supplier, Intel Corp.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, which is already responsible for the processors used in the iPhone and iPad, will be in charge of building the new Mac chips.

The components will be based on a 5-nanometer production technique, the same size Apple will use in the next iPhones and iPad Pros, one of the people said.

The first Mac processors will have eight high-performance cores, codenamed Firestorm, and at least four energy-efficient cores, known internally as Icestorm.

Apple seeks to gain more control over the performance of its devices and differentiate them from rivals.

However, Apple was turning away from Intel at a time when production could be compromised as a result of the Covid-19 crisis with work-from-home orders and disruptions in the company’s Asia-based supply chain possibly facing delays.