【CNMO News】For chip manufacturers, the process process has an important impact on the performance and power consumption of their own products. As the world's largest advanced process chip foundry, TSMC's progress in process process will also affect the research and development and production progress of new products of many chip manufacturers around the world. Recently, TSMC CEO Wei Zhejia said that the N3E process will be put into production after one year of N3 mass production, and the current research and development progress has exceeded expectations, and 3Nm may be brought into production in the second half of 2022.
TSMC
Previously, it was reported that TSMC's N3E expansion on the basis of N3 was ready in advance. Due to the higher yield rate at the time of N3E test production than previously expected, TSMC hopes to achieve commercialization earlier, and the mass production time may be advanced from the original second half of 2023 to the second quarter of 2023.
Due to the rapid increase in N3E's yield rate, N3E will accelerate production after it is officially put into production next year, and Apple, as one of TSMC's largest customers, will undoubtedly be the first customer to enjoy the new process. The process will be used on Apple's next-generation processors. In addition to Apple, TSMC's other two major customers, Intel and Qualcomm, will follow.
Wafers
It is reported that TSMC's 3nm chip will be produced by fab12 and Fab18 fabs, the former is mainly responsible for Intel foundry orders, with a monthly production capacity of about 10,000-20,000 wafers, and the latter mainly produces the new M series processors used in Apple's new iPad and MacBook, with a monthly production capacity of about 15,000 wafers. It is reported that after the more economical N3E is put into operation next year, the monthly production capacity will be increased from 25,000 to 50,000 wafers.