The Taiwanese company TSMC is preparing three sites in different parts of the island for the production of 2nm components, but current rumors indicate a possible slowdown in the implementation of such projects. At least one of the companies aiming to master mass production of 2nm products will not begin core activities until 2026 at the earliest, according to the sources.
Image source: TSMC, TrendForce
A completely reputable source unexpectedly became interested in this information event. TrendForce, which refers to publications in Taiwanese media. As explained in the publication, TSMC expects to dominate the production of 2nm products in three companies in different parts of Taiwan: in Baoshan (Hsinchu) in the north, Taichung in the central part of the island and Kaohsiung in the south.
According to sources, TSMC originally intended to build a Fab 20 facility in Baoshan to start pilot production of 2nm products in the second half of next year and start serial production of 2nm products in 2025 . Now the city authorities, with the help of contractors, have begun to build the technical and road infrastructure that the future TSMC company will need in the north of the island. According to rumors, the construction of the plant itself will be slightly delayed because demand for semiconductor components is recovering slowly and the manufacturer is simply not sure whether it will need to increase capacity at the same pace in the future. Instead of the second half of 2025, mass production of 2 nm chips can only be established at this TSMC location in 2026.
By the way, according to TrendForce, representatives of TSMC accompanied all these rumors only with a statement about maintaining the planned pace of launching new companies. Construction of a 2nm chip manufacturing facility has already begun in Kaohsiung, and equipment installation was scheduled to begin a month after the Baoshan facility. In the central part of Taiwan, construction of the Taichung plant will not begin until next year, so it will have the least impact on the timing of the development of the 2nm process in TSMC’s entire business. According to some reports, the local TSMC company may immediately start developing a 1.4nm or 1nm process technology, skipping the 2nm phase.
When releasing 2nm products, TSMC is expected to use the gate ambient transistor (GAA) structure that Samsung Electronics has already adopted as part of its 3nm process technology. The complexity of this technology poses certain risks for TSMC in terms of the timing of mastering the production of 2nm chips and the error rate. Intel, in turn, is already planning to master 18A process technology by 2025 with various layout innovations such as a GAA analog called RibbonFET and PowerVia technology, which allows power delivery from the back of the substrate. So if there are delays in mastering the 2nm process, there is a risk that TSMC will not only fall behind Samsung, but also Intel.
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