The A17 Pro leaves us with impressions of3nm and 19 billion transistors. Today, from CT scans to TEM slices, from FinFET cross-sections to DRAM wire bonding, even the 17 layers of metal interconnects have been meticulously measured. A total of 158 microscopic images answer one fundamental question:
What is the cost of an A17 Pro chip?
01 First, the conclusion: How much does Apple actually spend on an A17 Pro chip?
The complete cost range for the A17 Pro chip (including DRAM) is $56 to $67, which includes:
(1) The SoC die (109.6 mm²) accounts for $35 to $48.
(2) 8GB LPDDR5 (from SK Hynix) accounts for $14.5 to $17.
(3) InFO-PoP packaging + final testing totals approximately $7.
Note: This is just the “factory price” for materials + manufacturing + testing, excluding Apple’s self-developed IP, software, yield loss amortization, and profit.
02 What does the chip look like? Let’s disassemble it to find out.
Here are some key data points:
|
Item |
Specification |
Remarks |
|
Process Node |
TSMC 3nm FinFET (N3) |
Mass production in December 2022, 77 lithography steps |
|
Transistor Count |
19 billion |
3 billion more than A16, with a 2% reduction in area |
|
Metal Layers |
17 layers (16 Cu + 1 Al) |
1 more layer than A16, allowing for high-density interconnects |
|
Packaging Type |
InFO-PoP, 1530 balls |
479 fewer balls than A16, with a 6% reduction in size |
|
DRAM |
SK Hynix 8GB LPDDR5 |
4 die stacked + 2 dummy Si, totaling 8GB |
(1) Die Area: 109.6 mm² (12.9mm × 8.5mm)
(2) Yield: Estimated at Medium Yield, each 300mm wafer can produce 446 good dies, with a cost of $38.9 per die.
03 Cost Breakdown: Where is the money spent?
① Front-End (Wafer Manufacturing)
(1) Wafer factory price: ~ $16,765 (including TSMC’s 60% gross margin)
(2) Major costs: Equipment depreciation accounts for 48%, followed by materials at 16%, and yield loss at 23%.
② Back-End 0 (Testing + Thinning + Dicing)
Probe testing, grinding, and mechanical sawing total $162 per wafer, which translates to only $0.3 per die.
③ InFO-PoP Packaging (TSMC foundry)
(1) Packaging factory quoted $625 per reconstructed wafer (280 chips)
(2) The cost per package is $2.78, plus final testing at $0.93.
④ DRAM (SK Hynix)
(1) Q4 2023 spot price is $14.9 per 8GB
(2) Apple’s procurement price is estimated at the market median, $14.5 to $17.
04 Area Map: Where are the 19B transistors stacked?
|
IP Block |
Area |
Percentage |
Remarks |
|
GPU 6-core |
19.3mm² |
17.4% |
Each core is 2.81mm², 23% larger than A16 cores |
|
Logic-1 (General Logic) |
22.1mm² |
9.9% |
Largest independent unit |
|
HP CPU 2-core + L2 |
11.4mm² |
10.2% |
Each core is 2.65 mm² |
|
NPU 16-core |
4.7mm² |
4.3% |
Physically, there are 8 blocks, each with dual cores |
|
System-Level Cache L3 |
9.5mm² |
8.6% |
Divided into A/B areas |
|
Other SRAM |
14.5mm² |
13.1% |
A total of 24 MB L2/L3 scattered throughout |
05 Process Shrink: Why is 3nm more expensive than 4nm?
TEM slices show the key dimensions of 3nm FinFET:
(1) Fin pitch 25nm (↓2nm)
(2) Gate pitch 45nm (↓3nm)
(3) Standard cell height 160nm (↓45nm)
(4) SRAM bit-cell 0.019µm² (↓21%)
Additional costs:
(1) Five additional masks (total of 77 layers)
(2) A new W (tungsten) capping layer added on top of HKMG to enhance work function control
(3) e-SiGe source/drain morphology changed to a “diamond” structure to improve hole mobility
06 Supply Chain List: The Journey of a Chip
|
Stage |
Company/Location |
Remarks |
|
Wafer Foundry |
TSMC Fab 18, Tainan |
3nm FinFET, 60k WPM capacity |
|
Probe Testing |
Taiwan OSAT |
-40~85 °C, 30.5 s/chip |
|
InFO Packaging |
TSMC, Taiwan |
3 layers RDL + copper pillars + 9 IPD |
|
DRAM |
SK Hynix, South Korea |
4 die stacked, wire-bonded |
|
Final Testing |
Taiwan OSAT |
Same equipment as probe testing, $1836 k/set |
07 Bonus: How does Apple “save money”?
1. Area compression: The die is only 109.6 mm², 2% smaller than A16, saving about $1.3 per chip.
2. Reduced ball count: BGA decreased from 2009 to 1530, synchronously lowering packaging substrate costs.
3. In-house IP development: GPU, NPU, and CPU are all proprietary, eliminating the need to pay IP royalties externally.
4. DRAM pricing negotiation: The price of 8GB LPDDR5 is about 10% lower than that of the Android camp.
08 In Conclusion
The cost of $56 to $67 for the A17 Pro is the result of the coupling of TSMC’s 3nm, SK Hynix memory, and Apple’s architecture. It is a “performance small nuclear bomb”; for the industry, it is a “report card for 3nm mass production”.
More related reports are available in my knowledge community, welcome everyone to further discuss in the community of Gyarados~
