Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has received multiple orders for 3 nanometer (3nm) chip manufacturing technology, according to a report in Taiwanese media. TSMC plans to ramp up 3nm production in the current half of this year, and the technology became the center of controversy earlier this month when it was reported that the manufacturing process would face delays due to design changes for Intel Corporation products. TSMC denied the report and said process technologies are progressing as planned, and now Taiwan’s DigiTimes is reporting that the company has received orders from several different companies to manufacture its products with the advanced technology.
Big tech companies are flocking to TSMC’s 3nm process Taiwan press
report from DigiTimes It cited sources at the integrated circuit design firm to share details of the orders TSMC could take for its 3nm process. Chipmakers must rely on a strong order book for their new processes, as high investment and setup costs can only be recovered once large numbers of semiconductor wafers have been produced. Machines used for advanced chip manufacturing are often expensive to operate, and too few orders result in underutilization, costing the chipmaker more money than it can generate.
When Samsung Foundry, the chip-making unit of Korean chaebol Samsung Electronic, announced earlier this year that it was mass-producing 3nm processors, it sparked some controversy. The decision, seen as an effort by Samsung to outdo TSMC, also followed questions about potential orders the company could receive for its products. One such order has been confirmed from a Chinese company, but details for others remain unclear.
DigiTimes reports that TSMC has received 3-nanometer orders from various firms, with Cupertino, Calif.-based consumer technology giant Apple, Inc. and Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip maker Intel Corporation leading the charge. Intel’s Cooperation with TSMC There has been significant media attention for 3nm, the latest information in this area that the company claims to have Reduced 3nm process for some of its products.
He also says that apart from Intel and Apple, Taiwan’s MediaTek, NVIDIA, Broadcom, AMD and Qualcomm have placed orders for 3-nanometer products. If true, this would give TSMC a strong advantage over Samsung, as the company would be able to ramp up 3nm production quickly and gain a large market share.
DigiTimes adds that Qualcomm is believed to be courting Samsung for the 3nm chips because the company prefers to diversify its suppliers and takes other business considerations into account when working with Samsung. Qualcomm is the world’s leading manufacturer of smartphone processors, and the Korean company’s Exynos processors also target the same market as Qualcomm’s products, competing with Samsung on this front as well.
Samsung and TSMC’s 3nm technologies are different because they use different transistor designs. TSMC has chosen to stick with traditional FinFET technology for its products, while Samsung has moved towards advanced GaaFET technology, which theoretically allows for superior performance due to its high electrical conductivity.
