Items tagged with TSMC
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...
Read more...
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....
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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,...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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,...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
In recent weeks, Intel has been sharing some additional details about its discrete GPU plans, especially during its Architecture Day 2020 event last week. From a consumer standpoint, one of the more interesting revelations is the slotting of a high-end Xe-HPG GPU optimized for gaming into the lineup, which is scheduled to arrive sometime next year. In addition to what Intel has shared publicly, there is a report that it will tap TSMC to build its Xe-HPG chips on a 6-nanometer manufacturing process. The only part about about manufacturing that is officially confirmed right now is that Intel plans to source its Xe-HPG GPUs from an external source, rather than fab them itself. However, Intel has...
Read more...
Intel’s 7nm production delay has been well-documented over the past week, with the company explaining that the first products shipping using the process node won’t arrive until late 2022 or 2023 at the earliest. News of the pothole in the road for Intel sent its shares sliding, while AMD shares skyrocketed to new highs. During an investor call following its Q2 2020 earnings report, Intel did, however, comment that it was looking at contracting out work to third-party fabs when possible to help keep its roadmap somewhat intact. The most logical choice for Intel would be TSMC, which already produces chips for AMD, NVIDIA, Apple and many other high-profile players...
Read more...
NVIDIA has, for the first time, surpassed Intel to take the crown as the most valuable chipmaker in the United States. NVIDIA did this after its shares rose 2.3% in afternoon trading on Wednesday to reach $404 per share. When the stock hit that price per share, the company's market capitalization came in at $248 billion. On the same day, Intel's market capitalization was $246 billion. Intel was once the leading chipmaker in the entire world but has been on the decline amid fierce competition from NVIDIA and rival chipmaker AMD, among others. One move that has enabled NVIDIA to grow so much in recent years was its expansion outside of its traditional market of computer gaming chips into hardware...
Read more...
Seemingly out of left field, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) revealed it is planning to crank out chips based on a 4-nanometer manufacturing process. Described as an "evolution" from its 5nm node, TSMC says it is currently in discussions with potential customers about leveraging the node, which fills the gap between 5nm and 3nm. There is not a whole lot of information available yet. That is because the folks at EE Times caught wind of the previously unannounced node ahead of an official unveling, and TSMC chairman Mark Liu subsequently confirmed to the outlet that 4nm is indeed in the works. However, he stopped well short of discussing the technology in detail. We assume a formal...
Read more...
Every indication up to this point is that AMD's upcoming Zen 3 CPUs will be based on an enhanced 7-nanometer manufacturing process, with Zen 4 seeing an eventual shift to 5nm. But what if that was not the case? What if AMD decided to shake things up and jump straight to 5nm with its next round of CPUs instead, in pursuit of continued process leadership over rival Intel? That would certainly be something. On the desktop, Intel is still coaxing as much performance as it can out of its 14nm node, with 10nm silicon only showing up on mobile so far (like Ice Lake). This includes its latest round of processors, Comet Lake-S, which represents yet another iteration of 14nm. While there is more to the...
Read more...
Tensions between the United States government and China have proven a burden for Huawei, which at one point had aspirations of selling its products on domestic soil in stores like Best Buy and wireless outlets like AT&T. Those plans were crushed, and the challenges keep mounting. The latest development has the US government effectively barring TSMC from supplying semiconductors to Huawei. This comes by way of an amendment to the Entity List, which outlines specific license requirements and rules for exporting goods. According to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Huawei has been trying to undermine US export controls, and the amendment addresses its concerns by restricting the Chinese...
Read more...
The rumblings turned out to be true—Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has confirmed plans to build and operate another chip manufacturing plant in the United States, and specifically in Arizona. TSMC said it the made the decision with the understanding that it would receive support from the US government and Arizona officials. "TSMC welcomes continued strong partnership with the U.S. administration and the State of Arizona on this project. This project will require significant capital and technology investments from TSMC. The strong investment climate in the United States, and its talented workforce make this and future investments in the U.S. attractive to TSMC," the chip...
Read more...
