In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday.
Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years.
She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate assessment.
Photo: Bloomberg
“I actually have doubts over the report. I believe TSMC should be at least 10 years ahead, particularly now it has advanced to produce chips of 2 nanometers,” Wu Cheng-wen said.
Based on TSMC’s earnings report released in July, the research and development of 2-nanometer chips has proceeded smoothly, with devices equipped with 2-nanometer chips producing expected or better-than-expected yield performances.
Mass production of 2-nanometer chips would be launched next year as scheduled, the company said.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently announced that it has developed a deep ultraviolet lithography system that enables it to produce chips on a scale as small as 8 nanometers.
A Deutsche Welle report said that Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Co might be able to manufacture chips using 9 nanometer technology as it has applied for a series of extreme ultraviolet lithography-related patents from the China National Intellectual Property Administration.
Meanwhile, other lawmakers inquired about Taiwan’s dramatic fall in the computing power world ranking Top500 List.
The computing power of super computer Taiwania 2 has fallen to No. 106 this year from No. 20 in 2017.
Wu Cheng-wen said that Taiwan used to focus on the development of hardware needed for artificial technology, but it is time to focus on AI applications, which would help expand the nation’s computing power.
Taiwan’s computing power in the public sector is about 19 petaflops, which would gradually increase in the next few years, he said.
A one petaflop computer system is capable of performing one quadrillion floating-point operations per second. One quadrillion is a thousand trillion.
“We hope to enter at least the top 30 in the world,” he said.
Based on a plan laid out by the NSTC, it is expected to complete the construction of 280 petaflops of computing power in 2028, and the target is to increase to 480 petaflops in 2029, he said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS