The Taiwanese company TSMC is preparing three sites in different parts of the island for the production of 2nm components, but recent rumors mention the possibility of slowing down the implementation of relevant projects. At least one of the enterprises where mass production of 2nm products should be mastered will engage in core activities no earlier than 2026, according to sources.
Image Source: TSMC, TrendForce
The quite authoritative resource TrendForce, which refers to publications by Taiwanese media, unexpectedly became interested in this informational occasion. As the publication explains, TSMC expects to master the production of 2nm products at three enterprises in different parts of Taiwan: in Baoshan (Hsinchu) in the north, Taichung in the central part of the island, and in Kaohsiung in the south.
Initially, as noted by sources, TSMC intended to build a Fab 20 facility in Baoshan so that it would begin pilot production of 2nm products in the second half of next year, and in 2025 it would begin serial production of 2nm products. Now the municipal authorities, using contractors, have begun to form the engineering and road infrastructure that will be needed by the future TSMC enterprise in the north of the island. According to rumors, the construction of the plant itself will be delayed somewhat, since demand for semiconductor components is recovering slowly, and the manufacturer is simply not sure that it needs to increase future capacity at the same pace. Instead of the second half of 2025, mass production of 2nm chips at this TSMC site can only be established in 2026.
By the way, representatives of TSMC, according to TrendForce, accompanied all these rumors only with a statement about maintaining the planned pace of commissioning of new enterprises. In Kaohsiung, construction of a plant for the production of 2nm chips has already begun, and installation of equipment was supposed to begin a month after the plant in Baoshan. In the central part of Taiwan, the plant in Taichung will begin construction only next year, so it will have the least impact on the timing of the development of the 2nm process throughout TSMC’s business. According to some reports, the local TSMC enterprise may immediately move to the development of a 1.4 nm or 1 nm process technology, skipping the 2 nm phase.
When releasing 2nm products, TSMC is expected to use the gate-ambient transistor (GAA) structure, which Samsung Electronics has already adopted as part of its 3nm process technology. The complexity of this technology for TSMC poses certain risks in terms of the timing of mastering the production of 2nm chips, as well as the level of defects. In turn, Intel already plans to master the 18A process technology by 2025 with various layout innovations such as a GAA analogue called RibbonFET and PowerVia technology, which provides power supply from the reverse side of the substrate. Thus, if there are delays in mastering the 2nm process, TSMC risks falling behind not only Samsung, but also Intel.
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