Apple and Intel will be TSMC’s first 2nm chip customers
With TSMC’s breakthrough in 3nm process development, 2nm process development seems to be on the way, and the timetable has become clearer. This time, TSMC President Mr.Wei confirmed that the N2 process node will use gate-all-around FETs (GAAFET) transistors as expected, and the manufacturing process still relies on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology. It is expected to be ready for risk production in late 2024 and enter mass production in late 2025.
According to TomsHardware reports, recent industry news said that TSMC’s first 2nm chip customers will be Apple and Intel.
Apple has been TSMC’s largest customer for the past decade, and is the first customer at the N2 process node is completely expected. Intel intends to use TSMC’s foundry services to manufacture GPUs, as well as some SoCs, which require advanced technical support. Given Intel’s order volume, it is believed that it will soon become one of TSMC’s major customers.
The first batch of 2nm chips will be delivered to customers in 2026. It is unclear which chips Apple will use the new process. Intel is rumored to use this process in Lunar Lake processors to make graphics modules. TSMC plans to expand Fab 20 to meet the production needs of 2nm chips, and new semiconductor manufacturing equipment is expected to be installed by the end of 2022.
It is reported that companies such as AMD, Nvidia, Broadcom, and MediaTek will also enter the N2/N3 process node in due course. Negotiations with TSMC for capacity allocation may begin between 2023 and 2024, and the final application to products is expected to be much later than Apple and Intel.
