Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday expressed confidence that its 2-nanometer process technology would be the most advanced foundry technology in the world when it is introduced in 2025, shrugging off Samsung Electronics Co’s plans to overtake its technology leadership position.
“Today, the 3-nanometer technology we offer is the world’s most advanced technology. When we launch our 2-nanometer technology in 2025, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be the most advanced semiconductor technology in the world,” senior vice president of business development Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said in response to a reporter’s question about Samsung’s plans.
Two enhanced versions, dubbed N2P and N2X, would be launched in 2026, TSMC said during an annual technology symposium in Hsinchu.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
Samsung aims to surpass its bigger foundry rival TSMC to become the industry leader within five years, the Korea Economic Daily reported on Thursday last week.
The South Korean technology giant expects to get ahead of TSMC with its 2-nanometer processing node, Samsung’s head of semiconductor business Kyun Kye-hyun said during a lecture.
Samsung plans to mass produce 2-nanometer chips in 2025 as well. Its 2-nanometer technology would be based on the get-all-around structure, while TSMC adopts a nano sheet transistor structure, which it believes is a more mature technology, with less power consumption and greater performance.
In preparation for the mass production of its 2-nanometer chips, TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, is constructing a new factory in Hsinchu and would break ground for another one in Taichung next year.
The 2-nanometer chips would be used in smartphones and high-performance-computing (HPC) devices, the chipmaker said.
Commenting on market concern about TSMC’s 3-nanometer process, Zhang said the technology’s yield would soon catch up with that of its 5-nanometer process.
“We have strong confidence in our 3-nanometer processor, which is stable,” Zhang said. “We are seeing 1.5 to two times the number of customers engaging in our 3-nanometer [technology] compared with 5-nanometer during the initial period.”
Its automaker customers are participating in a program to upgrade to a new version of 3-nanometer auto chips, called Auto Early technology, Zhang said.
The new technology would allow customers to start designing chips two to three years earlier than before and to shorten their time to market, he said.
TSMC last month said that it was unable to meet customers’ demand for 3-nanometer chips.
Most of its smartphone and HPC customers are migrating to the 3-nanometer technology, Zhang said.
TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) yesterday in Hsinchu said that TSMC is a more reliable and trustworthy partner, as it does not compete with its customers.
“Our two competitors, one from South Korea and one based in California, develop their [own] products,” Wei said.
“TSMC does not develop [its own] products. We do not compete with you,” he told customers.
Samsung and Intel Corp are competing with TSMC to vie for a bigger market share and technology leadership.
ISSUES: Gogoro has been struggling with ballooning losses and was recently embroiled in alleged subsidy fraud, using Chinese-made components instead of locally made parts Gogoro Inc (睿能創意), the nation’s biggest electric scooter maker, yesterday said that its chairman and CEO Horace Luke (陸學森) has resigned amid chronic losses and probes into the company’s alleged involvement in subsidy fraud. The board of directors nominated Reuntex Group (潤泰集團) general counsel Tamon Tseng (曾夢達) as the company’s new chairman, Gogoro said in a statement. Ruentex is Gogoro’s biggest stakeholder. Gogoro Taiwan general manager Henry Chiang (姜家煒) is to serve as acting CEO during the interim period, the statement said. Luke’s departure came as a bombshell yesterday. As a company founder, he has played a key role in pushing for the
China has claimed a breakthrough in developing homegrown chipmaking equipment, an important step in overcoming US sanctions designed to thwart Beijing’s semiconductor goals. State-linked organizations are advised to use a new laser-based immersion lithography machine with a resolution of 65 nanometers or better, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in an announcement this month. Although the note does not specify the supplier, the spec marks a significant step up from the previous most advanced indigenous equipment — developed by Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co (SMEE, 上海微電子) — which stood at about 90 nanometers. MIIT’s claimed advances last
EUROPE ON HOLD: Among a flurry of announcements, Intel said it would postpone new factories in Germany and Poland, but remains committed to its US expansion Intel Corp chief executive officer Pat Gelsinger has landed Amazon.com Inc’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a customer for the company’s manufacturing business, potentially bringing work to new plants under construction in the US and boosting his efforts to turn around the embattled chipmaker. Intel and AWS are to coinvest in a custom semiconductor for artificial intelligence computing — what is known as a fabric chip — in a “multiyear, multibillion-dollar framework,” Intel said in a statement on Monday. The work would rely on Intel’s 18A process, an advanced chipmaking technology. Intel shares rose more than 8 percent in late trading after the
GLOBAL ECONOMY: Policymakers have a choice of a small 25 basis-point cut or a bold cut of 50 basis points, which would help the labor market, but might reignite inflation The US Federal Reserve is gearing up to announce its first interest rate cut in more than four years on Wednesday, with policymakers expected to debate how big a move to make less than two months before the US presidential election. Senior officials at the US central bank including Fed Chairman Jerome Powell have in recent weeks indicated that a rate cut is coming this month, as inflation eases toward the bank’s long-term target of two percent, and the labor market continues to cool. The Fed, which has a dual mandate from the US Congress to act independently to ensure
RSS