> Apple has rejected these offers. [...] This may be one reason why we reported that the upcoming M2 Pro and the M2 Max for updated MacBook Pro models would be manufactured on the 5nm process instead of 3nm; both entities might not have reached a middle ground for price agreement.

This makes no sense?

M1 / M1 Pro / M1 Max / M1 Ultra were all manufactured on TSMC N5, even though volume production for N5P (improved N5) was already available by the time M1 Pro / Max were released. In fact, A15 (N5P) was released in September '21 whereas M1 Pro / Max (N5) were released in October '21 and Ultra was released in March '22.

M2 is manufactured on N5P, so it makes total sense that M2 Pro / Max / Ultra will also be manufactured on N5P. They're part of the same generation, so it makes sense to produce them on the same node.

This is also most logical from a financial standpoint: the base model M chips and the A chips are the smallest and therefore least expensive to produce on a new node with relatively poor yields and high prices. Once the node has matured a bit more (higher yields / lower prices), you manufacture the bigger chips (Pro / Max), and even later you print the big bois (Ultra)

M2 Pro / Max / Utra were never going to be N3.