TSMC to begin trial production of 2nm chips
Market-leading contract chip firm TSMC is rumoured to be gearing up its 2nm process at its Baoshan Plant in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Reports says the chips could be destined for Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17.
All the big chip foundries are in a race to fabricate 2nm chips, and reports have already suggested Samsung is in production with its own products. Meanwhile Intel’s 20A manufacturing technology (2nm) is reportedly scheduled for launch in 2024 too.
Now, fresh reporting in multiple outlets says TSMC is ready to start mass production, with an initial monthly capacity of approximately 30,000 to 35,000 wafers. If true, 2nm production will be ahead of its expected commencement in 2025.
It's believed that Apple will be first in line. At present, the smartphone giant’s A17 Pro, M3 and M4 chips are all manufactured with TSMC’s 3nm node. The forthcoming 2nm based M5 chip is expected to achieve a performance increase of 10% to 15% and a power consumption reduction of up to 30% compared to current 3nm-based processors.
TSMC's own website says its 2nm (N2) technology features the company’s first generation of nanosheet transistor technology with full-node strides in performance and power consumption. It also developed low resistance RDL (redistribution layer), super high performance metal-insulator-metal (MiM) capacitors to further boost performance.
