TSMC Begins Mass Production of 3nm Chips

TSMC held a 3nm Volume Production and Capacity Expansion Ceremony at its Fab 18 site in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) yesterday. At the event, the company announced that its 3nm technology had successfully begun volume production with good yields. It estimates that 3nm technology will create end products with a market value of US$1.5 trillion within five years.

TSMC's 3nm process is the most advanced semiconductor technology in both power, performance, and area (PPA) and in transistor technology, and a full-node advance from the 5nm generation. Compared with the 5nm (N5) process, TSMC's 3nm process offers up to 1.6X logic density gain and 30-35% power reduction at the same speed, and supports the innovative TSMC FINFLEX architecture. Apple is expected to use the company's 3nm process for an A17 Bionic chip that will power its next generation iPhone 15 Pro. It may also use the 3nm process for its upcoming M2 Pro, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra chips for Mac.

TSMC Chairman Dr. Mark Liu presided over the ceremony. Notable guests included Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong, Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che, STSP Administration Bureau Director-General Su Chen-kang, Fu Tsu Construction Chairman Cliff Lin, United Integrated Services Chairman Belle Lee, National Cheng Kung University President Dr. Jenny Su, Chang Chun Petrochemical President Chih-Chuan Tsai, Kuang Ming Enterprise Co. Vice Chairman Eric Lin, and Applied Materials Group Vice President Erix Yu, as well as representatives from TSMC's construction partners, materials and equipment suppliers, the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association and academic institutions.


"TSMC is maintaining its technology leadership while investing significantly in Taiwan, continuing to invest and prosper with the environment. This 3nm Volume Production and Capacity Expansion Ceremony demonstrates that we are taking concrete action to develop advanced technology and expand capacity in Taiwan," said TSMC Chairman Dr. Mark Liu. "We aim to grow together with our upstream and downstream supply chain and develop future talent from design to manufacturing, packaging and testing, equipment, and materials to provide the most competitive advanced process technology and reliable capacity for the world and drive technology innovation in the future."

Phases 1 through 8 of TSMC Fab 18 each have cleanroom area of 58,000 square meters, approximately double the size of a standard logic fab. TSMC's total investment in Fab 18 is said to exceed NT$1.86 trillion, creating more than 23,500 construction jobs and over 11,300 high-tech direct job opportunities. In addition to expanding 3nm capacity in Taiwan, TSMC is also building 3nm capacity at its Arizona site.

TSMC revealed that a new global R&D Center in the Hsinchu Science Park will officially open in the second quarter of 2023, to be staffed by 8,000 R&D personnel. Additionally, the company is already making preparations for 2nm fabs, which will be located in the Hsinchu and Central Taiwan Science Parks.

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