Figure 1 The June 2022 release of “MacBookPro” look
Source: Techanarie Report
The new 2022 MacBook Pro has the same construction as before, and the bottom cover can be easily removed with only about 10 screws. (1) The upper right corner of Figure 1 is a 3CELL battery, (2) is a stereo speaker, (3) is a heat pipe and air coolingfan, (4) is the main processor board, below the processor board is the keyboard, (5)) represents the Wi-Fi antenna, (6) represents the touchpad with TAPTIC function. The battery accounts for almost half, and the maximum board size is 202mm x 83mm.
Table 1 compares the MacBook Pro released in November 2020, equipped with the “Apple M1” for the first time, and the MacBook Pro released in June 2022, equipped with the M2 for the first time.
Table 1 “MacBook Pro” appearances released in June 2022
Source: Tekanariye report
Remove the bottom cover and compare the front and back of the board, you will see that they are almost the same. The internal arrangement, size and shape of each are nearly identical, as are the routing routes. Similarly, the substrates have nearly the same size, shape and chip layout. It is said on the street that “the processor has just been changed from M1 to M2”, which is actually true. You can’t tell just by removing the bottom cover.
However, if you look closely, the location and number of capacitors are different, so it’s clear that the two boards are different. Both are priced under 200,000 yen, but the 2022 model is about 20% higher than the 2020 model. There are cost-increasing factors such as increased processor cost (with increased functionality) and increased memory performance, but likely also include cost increases due to changing world conditions.
Figure 2 shows how to disassemble the substrate. Many wires go in and out of the circuit board to the touchpad, keyboard, display, speakers, battery, external terminals, etc. Remove them and unscrew the screws that attach them to the frame, and you can take out the circuit board.
Figure 2. MacBook Pro Teardown for “M2” Processor
Source: Tekanariye report
Add reinforcing metal, heat pipe (radiator) for heat dissipation, heat sink, metal frame, etc. on the base plate. The heat sink adopts a structure that covers the entire processor section, and is connected to an air-cooled fan through a heat pipe to release heat. The air-cooled fan is small in size, 46mm in diameter. It has many lobes and is thin, so it dissipates heat very smoothly.
With the heat pipe removed, the M2 processor in the package integrated with the DRAM appears almost in the center of the board. There is a black heatsink to the right and top of the processor. Additionally, the NAND flash is mounted on the top left of the processor. The bottom left of Figure 2 shows the board with the heat sink removed. There are three heat sinks in total, two of which are equipped with power ICs to optimize the power supply of the processor. The third part of the heatsink (on the right side of the board) is an interface IC.
M1/M2 processor and peripheral chip comparison
Table 2 shows the comparison results of the processor and peripheral chips of the 2020 M1 MacBook Pro and 2022 M2 MacBook Pro.
Table 2 Comparison of main chips of MacBook Pro with M1 and MacBook Pro with M2
Source: Techanarie Report
The processor type name has changed from “APL1102” to “APL1109” and is different. The two power ICs combined with the processor also have different model names (the internals were compared after disassembling the chips).
The biggest difference is the DRAM paired with the processor. M1 adopts LPDDR4X, and M2 adopts high-speed LPDDR5. Some other chips not listed in Table 2 have also been replaced. The flash memory is still made by the Japanese company Kioxia, but has increased capacity and is a separate chip. Some interface chips and power semiconductors have also been replaced. The appearance and size of the board, the chip arrangement on the board, etc. are almost the same, but the processor and peripheral chips are 100% replaced.
On the other hand, the touchpad, audio codec, NFC (Near Field Communication) controller, motion sensor, battery charger IC, etc. are exactly the same in the 2020 and 2022 versions. Since the terminal locations and dimensions are the same, it appears that you can upgrade to the M2 version by simply replacing the 2020 MacBook Pro motherboard and the 2022 MacBook Pro motherboard.
Compare M1 and M2
Figure 3 is a comparison of processors M1 and M2. We have done the die cutout for M2, but the silicon die cutout photo is omitted.
Figure 3 Comparison of M1 and M2
Source: Tekanariye Report
The M1 is based on TSMC’s first-generation 5nm process, while the M2 is based on an improved second-generation 5nm process. The number of transistors installed also increased by 25%, from 16 billion to 20 billion. As for the actual silicon size, as shown in Figure 3, M2 is one size larger than M1. Both CPU cores are 8 cores (4 high-speed cores + 4 high-efficiency cores).
The M2 adds 2 GPU cores to the M1 and has 10 (10 cores). In addition, the performance of Neural Engine has also been improved from 11TOPS to 15.8TOPS. The memory interface has been amplified in many ways, such as accelerating from LPDDR4X to LPDDR5, making it a veritable M2 processor. In the future, further evolution will be realized on the basis of this M2.
Intel’s Thunderbolt chips are finally gone
Figure 4 shows the display timing controller TCON installed on the display control board of the M2 MacBook Pro.
Figure 4 TCON (Display Timing Controller) on the M2 MacBook Pro. Use with 24 inchesiMacthe same TCON
Source: Techanarie report
All large display devices will definitely use TCON (smartcell phoneand smartwatches).
Many of Apple’s products use TCON (Parade) from Parade Technologies (hereafter referred to as Parade).iPadis also like this).
The TCON for the “24-inch iMac” released in 2021 and the MacBook Pro released in 2022 uses Parade’s “DP855A”. Although the displays are different sizes, the same TCON is used, and it is clear that the parts for Apple products are common. By the way, the TCON of the MacBook released in 2011 is Parade’s “DP615”. Parade chips have been used by Apple for nearly 10 years. Also, although not shown in Figure 4, the MacBook touchpad IC released in 2011 is Broadcom’s “BCM5976”. The same BCM5976 is also used in the 2022 MacBook. There are other suppliers that have been around for 10 years.
Table 3 is a fairly brief list of processors and Thunderbolt chips for MacBook models from the past 11 years (although we have data for that model for nearly every year).
Table 3. MacBook appearance and list of major processors and Thunderbolt interface chips
Source: Techanarie report
The Thunderbolt chip was installed from the 2011 model. All Mac products since then have used Intel’s Thunderbolt chips. Until the MacBook Pro released in May 2020, the processor was also made by Intel.
Intel processors have been discontinued since the November 2020 MacBook featured the Apple M1, but many Apple products continue to use Intel’s Thunderbolt chips (the March 2022 “Mac Studio” was also made by Intel).
However, in the MacBook Pro released in June 2022, it has been replaced with a non-Intel interface chip. Intel is finally gone with the M2 version of the MacBook Pro.
M2″ processor looks the same, but is “different” inside
Figure 5 shows the MacBook Pro motherboard and main processor M2.
Figure 5: MacBook Pro motherboard and M2 processor for June 2022 release
Source: Tekanariye Report
The M2 processor integrates DRAM into a single package and modularizes it, making it the fourth Apple chip with a similar structure after the “A12X,” “A12Z,” and “M1.” There are two DRAMs on the right side, and the left processor side is covered with metal LIDs for heat dissipation. Metal LIDs are attached to the processor and package with an adhesive that requires some expertise to remove. Power ICs are mounted above and to the right of the on-board processor and handle power off and voltage fluctuations. The processor and power IC are the backbone of the chipset, so they are very close together in any non-Apple system.
Figure 6 shows the backside of the M2 processor package removed from the board. The terminals (signal and power) connected to the board are densely arranged. The number of terminals exceeds 2500.
Figure 6 Back of M2 package
Source: Techanarie Report
In recent years, the degree of parallelization of processors and memory has increased, and the power supply has to be stepped up due to lower voltages, thus requiring a large number of GND pins. Therefore, many packages have more than 2000 pins. Some packages have more than 7000 pins.
The M2 has over 2500 balls with a ball size of 0.28mm and a pitch of 0.5mm. The spherical arrangement has four holes, and in these sections are embedded the silicon capacitors with the bottom left terminal. While there are cases where ceramic capacitors are embedded (such as Qualcomm and MediaTek), many Apple processors have silicon capacitors embedded. These four capacitors are located directly above the processor’s DDR interface and are used to improve efficiency between the DRAM and the processor.
Figure 7 shows all the chips in the M2 package. Two other types of silicon capacitors shown in Figure 6 are also included. The DRAM on the right is stacked with 4 or 8 chips (users can choose from 8GB to 24GB of DRAM capacity depending on the product specification), and even the smallest configuration has 8 DRAM silicon chips. Since there are a total of 1 processor, 8 DRAM silicon, and 11 silicon capacitors, there are 20 total dies in the M2 package.
Figure 7 M2 chip cutaway
Source: Tekanariye Report
By the way, the one that currently has the most silicon in a package is the “M1 Ultra” installed in Apple’s March 2022 “Mac Studio”. Up to 135 silicon dies embedded in one package! !
As semiconductor miniaturization advances, the number of pins tends to increase (parallelization and power enhancement). Therefore, the evolution of packaging technologies such as 2D (dimension), 2.5D, 3D, etc. is essential, but how to add components (capacitors, etc.) at the same time as functional silicon lamination to guarantee characteristics and quality?
In the future, devices such as capacitors embedded in silicon interposers (silicon used for wiring) will be fabricated. Even for M1 Ultra and the latestAMDA cross-sectional analysis of the 2.5D “Ryzen 7 5800X3D” also shows that it’s not just a functional evolution. In order to achieve equal emphasis on functions and features, “polysilicon packaging” will continue to be promoted in the future.
Figure 8 is a photo comparison of M1 and M2 chip openings (stripping layers) used in Apple products from 2020 onwards (MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iMac 24-inch, etc.). In fact, all features are clearly visible in the photo.
Figure 8 Comparing M1 and M2 silicon
Source: Tecanariye report
Apple moves forward with internal IP
Apple has disclosed the manufacturing process and transistor count of the M1 and M2. M1 has 16 billion transistors and M2 has 20 billion transistors, a 25% increase in circuit size. The actual silicon area growth rate was 23.8%, slightly lower than the circuit scale. The integration density increases by about 1%. The GPU has been increased from 8 cores to 10 cores, an 8K processing function newly named by Apple as “Media Engine” has been added, and the number of computing units has increased.
The arithmetic unit is composed of a combination of standard cell and smallest cell SRAM, so it has the highest integration density even in silicon. In the evolution from M1 to M2, the increase in the number of cores and the increase in functions in the computing unit accounts for the majority, so the integration density of the entire silicon wafer tends to increase. The M1 Pro and M1 Max also have more computing units (core counts such as GPU), so the integration density is slightly higher than the M1. Compared with the M1, the M2 has been upgraded in circuit scale and integration density, of course.
Table 4 shows the “releases in 2020″iPhone”A14″ used in 12”, M1 used in MacBook released in 2020, “A15” in “iPhone 13” released in 2021, and M2 in 2022. It is to disassemble all chip packages and strip the wiring layer , to expand the photo contrast of one core of high-performance CPUs.
Table 4: Apple processor A14/M1/A15/M2 comparison
Source: Techanarie report
The mesh part that can be seen in the internal diagram of the CPU is the SRAM. The black area is where the logic cells are arranged. SRAM consists of instructions and data. The logic section is solid black, but with millions of logic cells lined up, it just looks black at the resolution of the photo.
The A14 and M1 have the same CPU (shape and size), and the A15 and M2 have the same CPU. A14 uses 2 CPUs, M1 uses 4 CPUs, A15 uses 2 CPUs, and M2 uses 4 CPUs. This photo clearly shows that Apple is ideally developing an ecosystem (internal IP) that uses assets that have been designed with time and effort within the same company. The author has also developed multiple IPs such as CPUs in a semiconductor manufacturer, but even within the same company, there are many experiences of separate development by different departments, and the complete conversion of internal IPs is also in progress. It can be seen that Apple is highly unified.
History of chips made in-house for Apple products
Table 5 briefly summarizes the “internal production history” of Apple products. Although not shown in the table, Apple also manufactures Wi-Fi chips, Bluetooth audio chips, UWB (ultra-wideband) communication chips for headphones and smart watches in-house.
Table 5. History of chips made in-house for Apple products
Source: Techanarie report
In 2010, the “A4” processor of the “iPhone 4” was made in-house, and in 2020, the M1 of the Mac is also made in-house. In 2022, Thunderbolt will also be manufactured in-house. The internal chipset is definitely improving.
The author interprets the chipset as “concentric circles” in Japanese. That’s because it’s important to expand coverage by expanding the circle around the processor. Starting with processors, power ICs and even high-speed interfaces, Apple is undoubtedly expanding its concentric circles (chipsets).