Items tagged with TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is not having any trouble finding clients for its advanced 3-nanometer node technology. A couple of industry giants have already reportedly tapped TSMC to fabricate 3nm silicon for them, including Apple, which will inject them first into an upcoming lineup of iPad tablets, and Intel. Generally speaking, smaller nodes translate to better performance and power efficiency, along with other potential benefits that are baked into the silicon. Of course, it is a bit more complicated than that—when comparing nodes from two different manufacturers, it is not as simple as saying the smaller number is a better one. Be that as it may, TSMC is major...
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Even though there is a shortage of silicon (relative to rabid demand), the pace of technology has now slowed. Just ask Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), one of the biggest players in the semiconductor space with clients such as Apple, AMD, Intel, and others. It's been producing 5-nanometer chips in volume since last year (and is building an advanced 5nm chip fab in Arizona), and is on track to enter the volume production phase for 3nm in the second half of 2022. The funny thing about nanometer designations is that smaller nodes and how a company goes about labeling them are the not the end-all-be-all in semiconductors. Intel, for example, would argue that its 10nm node is roughly...
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is the global leader in [contract] semiconductor production, and the company shows no signs of slowing down. While the bulk of the company's manufacturing capacity resides in its home market of Taiwan, TSMC has initiated construction on a new 5nm fab right here in the United States. TSMC announced the fab back in April 2020, and construction is "well underway" in Phoenix, Arizona. The company's decision to build its new fab in Arizona was undoubtedly sweetened by the city of Phoenix footing the bill for roads and other infrastructure. The infrastructure incentives alone are worth $200 million, and that's not counting any long-term tax incentives that...
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AMD is having the time of its life with Zen 3, and then in early 2022 (presumably), it will look to keep its momentum going with Zen 4, which is rumored to deliver a 20 percent IPC performance uplift. Looking even further down the roadmap, however, it is Zen 5 that could prove the most interesting of the bunch. AMD is not yet talking about Zen 5, but according to a recent leak, it will leverage TSMC's 3-nanometer manufacturing process. As many of you reading this already know, AMD's current generation Zen 3 parts are manufactured on a 7nm node. AMD has also confirmed that Zen 4 will be built on a 5nm node, and we can expect DDR5 memory support as well. PCI Express 5.0, however, will not be included...
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It was just earlier this month that IBM announced an incredible manufacturing breakthrough with its 2-nm manufacturing process that crammed 50 billion transistors into the size of a fingernail. While that's still a future-looking technology that hasn't made it into mass production (and thereby not a solution for our current chip shortage just yet), it's already being surpassed. The combined research brainpower at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) have announced some big breakthroughs using non-silicon materials to make very tiny transistors (as small as 1nm). MIT and TMSC have published a joint paper describing a new set...
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We reported last week that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is allegedly looking to vastly increase its investments in the United States concerning fab capacity. The company announced its decision to build a $12 billion fab in Arizona in May 2020, and the report alleged that TSMC further committed to building up to six fabs in the state to keep up with rising demand. Now we're learning that TSMC might go a step further by shifting the focus of the already announced Arizona plant from the relatively mature 5nm process node to the more advanced 3nm node. The first products using the 3nm process node are likely a year or more away from shipping in production devices and will be highly...
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Given the incredible demand for microchips these days that power everything from smartphones to engine control units (ECUs) in automobiles, fabs are working overtime to satisfy global demand and still coming up short. Intel this week announced a $3.5 billion expansion of its New Mexico chip fab, which is part of its $20 billion efforts to construct two all-new fabs in Arizona. Not to be left out, chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is also looking to expand its footprint to supply a greater number of chips to its vast customer base. However, TSMC isn't just looking to grow within its home market of Taiwan; it has already announced plans to expand into Intel's [fab] backyard...
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A global shortage of semiconductors used to power a range of electronics, including PCs and game consoles, could not only linger for the rest of 2021, but throughout all of next year and perhaps even part of 2023, TSMC boss Dr. C.C. Wei warned. That's a bummer for consumers, though if putting a positive spin on things, it means technology in general is still trending in the right direction (up and to the right, folks). Be that as it may, Dr. Wei's recent comments are a tough pill to swallow. Several of the products we cover here at HotHardware, like the newest generation graphics cards from AMD (RDNA 2) and NVIDIA (Ampere), as well as high-end processors and game systems like the PlayStation...
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Anyone who has had aspirations of building a new PC in recent weeks and months has felt the sting of an industry wide silicon shortage. The most desirable CPUs and GPUs have been frustratingly out of stock, as have been the latest game consoles from Microsoft and Sony (built around those same parts). Relief might not be coming in the immediate future, but looking longer term, both Intel and TSMC are making big investments into expanding their chip making capabilities. TSMC in particular says it plans to invest a whopping $100 billion to bolster its chip fabrication capacity. The announcement comes barely a week after Intel said it was pouring $20 billion into its own advanced manufacturing capabilities....
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is rumored to be hiking up prices of its 300mm (12-inch) wafers, which in turn could lead to higher prices for certain consumer electronics. If the report is accurate, TSMC will be charging 25 percent more for its 300mm wafers, compared to pricing from a year ago. That amounts to a $400 increase, at least at the high end. And if it comes to pass, it will reportedly be a record high, though official pricing information from TSMC is not available (and varies by customer). Or in the semiconductor maker's own words, "TSMC is committed to providing customer value and does not comment on price issues." Be that as it may, United News says that the continuous...
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Last week, Intel launched a broadside against Apple’s M1-based Macs with its “Go PC” ad campaign. The hilarious ads star former Apple pitchman Justin Long and show how Intel-based Windows PCs are superior to M1 MacBooks in gaming performance, the availability of touch screen/2-in-1 form-factors, and the prevalence of multiple connectivity options (rather than being limited to Thunderbolt 4). While many Apple fans brushed off the Intel ads as ill-considered, PC enthusiasts nodded in agreement. As for new Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, he sees the ads as having “competitive fun” with Apple. “Obviously, you’ve seen some of the competitive energies resume...
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Are you frustrated by the silicon shortage that is contributing to the near-constant out-of-stock status of the latest hardware, from standalone CPUs and GPUs, to the newest game consoles? We feel your pain. Good news, though—Taiwain Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is rumored to be opening up half a dozen factories in the US, which could go a long way towards alleviating strained output in the future. There are many reasons why it is difficult to find an Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, or some of the latest PC hardware in stock and priced at (or close) to MSRP. Cryptocurrency mining and scalpers armed with scripted bots are contributing to the situation. But the root cause is that...
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It seems Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is right on schedule to begin mass producing silicon based on its 3-nanometer process next year, which will pack 1.7 times the logic density of its 5nm node. Barring any snags, TSMC expects to churn out 30,000 wafers in the latter half of this year, as 3nm production enters the risk production phase. The foundry is highly motivated to stay on schedule—previous reports have suggested Apple will tap into a very large part of TSMC's 3nm capacity for its future iPhone, iPad, and Mac products. Bear in mind we are talking about future models slated to arrive in 2023, which presumably rules out the iPhone 13 (though not necessarily). Incidentally,...
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Rumors have been swirling that Apple is working on a mixed reality or augmented reality headset, potentially with dual 8K resolution displays and eye-tracking technology. The simple act of Apple releasing an AR/VR product is a potential game changer for the category. Adding to that, it's now being reported that Apple has teamed up with TSMC to make micro OLED displays for its upcoming headset. Apple and TSMC already have a longstanding relationship, with the latter being a major chip supplier for the former, including its fancy M1 silicon. But as far as displays go, this is an interesting arrangement. Micro OLED is a different animal than a traditional LED or OLED displays—instead of being...
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Intel has not been shy about the fact that it is considering its options, as it applies to chip manufacturing. Pretty much everything is on the table: forging ahead in the same manner as things have gone, tapping n outside foundry to produce some of its main CPU products, and/or licensing a foundry's process node to use within its own fabs. What will Intel ultimately do? Time will tell, but there is a persistent rumor going around that Intel has inked a deal with TSMC to produce processors on a 3-nanometer node. If true, this would be a major development for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it could potentially thrust Intel onto even ground or even ahead of AMD in process technology,...
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We reported late last week that Intel is well along in talks with TSMC to outsource production of some of its computing products. Intel is also allegedly having discussions with Samsung, although those talks are reportedly not as far along. A new report from TrendForce is providing a little bit more clarity on what products TSMC will be tasked with producing, and how it will benefit Intel's product roadmap. According to the previous report from Bloomberg, the Intel-TSMC partnership wouldn't bare any fruit until at least 2023. However, TrendForce alleges that mass production of Intel Core i3 processors could kick off at TSMC's fab as early the second half of 2021. More...
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Assuming things go to plan, Intel will eventually launch a discrete graphics card for gamers, built around its Xe architecture. There are many questions left to be answered, such as what the full lineup will look like, how will the cards compare to offerings from AMD and NVIDIA, and what price points they land at. One question that appears to have already been answered, however, is where the GPUs will be manufactured. It won't be at Intel's own fabs, if the latest chatter is true. Intel has been forthcoming about the possibility of outsourcing production, and though it manufacturers its own high-end CPUs, there are certain chips that get built elsewhere. For example, when Intel was cranking out...
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Unless you've been living under a big rock for the past few years, you know that Intel has run into difficulties shifting to smaller process nodes. The company has relied on its venerable 14nm process node for far longer than it had originally anticipated -- the upcoming Rocket Lake family should be the last new consumer desktop processors to use the node -- and its shift to 10nm so far has been limited to mobile processors. With this in mind, Intel has been looking at other options to ensure that it can stay competitive with perennial rival AMD, which has been kicking butt and taking names (and market share) with its Zen family of processorsin all market segments that Intel competes...
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Many people are bidding a not-so-fond 'good riddance' to 2020 as we settle into whatever 2021 brings us, but it was not all bad. That is especially true for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The chip maker apparently pulled in record revenue last month, ending the year with a bang. As a result, it is making a major investment in 5-nanometer chip production for 2021. TSMC has not yet officially announced its earnings for December. Looking at November, however, the company posted consolidated revenues of NT$124.87 billion (around $4.5 billion in US currency). That represents a 4.7 percent increase from the previous month, and a 15.7 percent year-over-year increase. The numbers...
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Reports are surfacing once again of Apple having booked up the bulk of 5-namometer chip production from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), leaving not a lot of capacity for other customers who might be interested in the semiconductor fab's 5nm node. Between Apple's iPhone lineup and its new Mac systems, there is plenty of production to keep TSMC busy. Bear in mind that Apple is on a two-year transition plan to wean itself off of Intel's processors, in favor of its own custom silicon across its entire Mac lineup. We have already seen this play out with the introduction of its new M1 chip, which powers a recently refreshed MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13, and Mac mini (check out our...
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Huawei has been embroiled in controversy after the U.S. Government accused the company of spying for China. Since those allegations, the Chinese manufacturer has struggled with trade bans with U.S. companies. Companies such as Qualcomm, Mediatek, and TSMC have been trying to hatch trade deals so they can send parts to Huawei. Now, TSMC seems like it has secured a contract with a caveat: it cannot deliver anything outside of “mature technology.” According to the report, “mature technology” and specifics of parts are not defined. GizChina states that, “it is generally accepted that products above the 28nm node are mature,” thus eliminating the possibility...
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TSMC is celebrating the production of 1 billion defect-free chips manufactured on its 7-nanometer technology, or put another way, 1 billion functional 7nm chips. If laid out on the ground, that would be enough to cover 13 Manhattan city blocks, the semiconductor fab says. It also equates to over 1 quintillion transistors. "A remarkable achievement for a technology that entered volume production in April 2018. Since then, we have manufactured 7nm chips for well over 100 products from dozens of customers...TSMC’s large-scale, efficient manufacturing means more than just producing a lot of chips quickly. It is critical to improving quality and reliability, and the learning enables technology...
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