Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has announced that plans to bring its advanced 2-nanometer (nm) technology into mass production by 2025 are still on track.
TSMC is battling to maintain its lead over main rivals Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co, which aim to start production of 2nm chips next year and in 2025 respectively.
TSMC announced the timeline for 2nm production at its North America Technology Symposium in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday.
Photo: Bloomberg
More than 1,600 customers and partners registered to attend the event, the first of an international series of technology symposiums hosted by the world’s largest contract chipmaker, TSMC said.
During the event, TSMC showcased its latest technology developments, including progress in 2nm technology and new members of its industry-leading 3nm technology family, as well as 3DFabric, a comprehensive family of 3D silicon stacking and advanced packaging technologies.
The company said that the development of its 2nm technology, which utilizes nanosheet transistors, was making progress in yield and device performance, and it is set to enter production in 2025 as scheduled.
The company’s 2nm technology would be up to 15 percent faster than its 3nm enhanced (N3E) process technology at the same power, with up to 30 percent lower power use at the same speed, and chip density of more than 15 percent greater than N3E.
Regarding its N3E products, TSMC said its 3nm technology was in volume production, with an enhanced N3E version set to enter high-volume manufacturing in the second half of this year.
Following N3E, TSMC would continue to optimize the N3 family’s transistor density with 3nm performance enhanced technology, which would build on N3E by offering better power, performance and density, the company said, adding that production would be ready in the second half of next year.
Its N3X product, which is tailored for high-performance computing applications and can support higher voltage and frequency — and therefore has stronger computing power — is to enter mass production in 2025, it said.
In addition, its Auto Early product would be available this year, offering automotive process design kits based on N3E, and allowing customers to launch designs on the 3nm node for automotive applications, leading to the fully automotive-qualified N3A process in 2025, TSMC said.
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