TSMC Accelerating 2-nm Process Development
Technological competition between Samsung Electronics and TSMC is intensifying. Samsung Electronics is expected to initiate the world’s first 3-nm process-based mass production in June, and TSMC is accelerating its 2-nm process technology development for mass production initiation in 2025.
The Taiwanese company recently organized a team for pilot production and is discussing plant construction with Taichung City. A total of US$36 billion is estimated to be invested in the plant.
At present, the mainstream process technology in the industry is 5 nm, which is used for Samsung Galaxy S22 and Apple iPhone 13. Samsung Electronics recently announced that its GAA-based 3-nm chip manufacturing would start in the first half of this year. TSMC was going to start the mass production of the same chips in the first half of this year and apply the chips to the next iPhone, but the schedule has been postponed due to a low yield.
Under the circumstances, TSMC is focusing more on a 2-nm process based on the gate-all-around technology, which is highly complicated and does not easily allow a satisfactory level of yield. Samsung Electronics has worked on the technology since 2019.