TSMC and Samsung Foundry represent two opposite realities of the same segment in the tech industry. While Samsung is severely struggling with the low yield rate of its 3nm wafers, its direct rival has not only perfected the process but is working on its next generational leap. In line with what we have seen in the industry in recent months, TSMC has confirmed that its 2nm process is right on-track.
Currently, TSMC is in a particular position in the semiconductor production segment. Although there’s not a monopoly, most big names are looking for the Taiwanese company’s factories. This is because its wafers are by far the most reliable and efficient. This has led to Samsung Foundry losing contracts with multiple big customers, including NVIDIA—the leader in the AI chips segment—and Qualcomm—one of the leaders in processors for Android devices.
TSMC’s 2nm process roadmap is right on-track
TSMC recently updated the “Logic Technology” section of its website with details about its 2nm process. The company has officially confirmed that they are ready to start producing 2nm chips as early as 2025. They have very high expectations for their next-gen manufacturing process. A report from October revealed that the demand for TSMC’s 2nm chips is even higher than that of 3nm, which was already quite high.
In fact, 3nm and 5nm chips have been the most in-demand in TSMC’s history. However, the company expects the 2nm process to overtake both in the coming years. As usual, the new manufacturing process will bring intrinsic improvements in terms of performance and energy consumption. These improvements come in addition to the enhancements that chip designers incorporate into their products. For example, Qualcomm implemented the new Oryon cores in its 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The company expects quite high demand
According to reports, Apple is set to introduce 2nm chips produced by TSMC. The Cupertino giant is expected to implement the next-gen process in the M5 SoCs that will power future Macs and iPads. Meanwhile, Bionic chips for iPhones will use 2nm wafers starting in 2026. TSMC also expects big orders from customers such as Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and Intel, among others. Even Google will produce its next-gen Tensor processors in the Taiwanese company’s factories.
