Apple's M2 chip has reportedly entered mass production

The M1 processor's reign as Apple's flagship chip may be nearing its end. The company's next big processor, likely called the M2, entered into mass production this month, Nikkei Asia reports.

The report, which cites unnamed "sources familiar with the matter," says that shipments of the new processors could "begin as early as July for use in MacBooks that are scheduled to go on sale in the second half of this year." Apple has previously been rumored to be preparing new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros that run on its own silicon and not processors from Intel. 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is reportedly Apple's partner in producing the new processor.

Nikkei reports that while the new M2 chip may start in upcoming MacBooks, similar to the M1, it will expand to other products in Apple's ecosystem. Last week Apple introduced a bevy of new devices powered by its M1 processor, ranging from redesigned iMacs to new iPad Pros. 

Apple declined to comment. 

While it remains unclear when Apple might introduce its next chip, the company's latest virtual WWDC event is set for early June. Apple first announced the switch from Intel processors to its own Arm-based silicon at last year's WWDC, with CEO Tim Cook saying at the time that the transition would "take about two years."