TSMC further expands 2nm production capacity

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As planned, TSMC will officially mass-produce the N3 process node in the second half of next year, but the related supporting fabs for the N2 process node are already under planning. TSMC will build two fabs to manufacture 2nm chips. The first fab is located in the Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan, and the construction of the R&D facility has already begun in 2020. The second fab will be in the Science Industrial Park in Taichung, Taiwan.

TSMC chip supply shortage

According to relevant media reports, the competent authorities in the region where TSMC’s second fab is located have approved TSMC’s expansion plan. The park will also reserve an additional 94 hectares of land for TSMC’s expansion, which means that TSMC will likely further expand its 2nm production capacity at some point in the future. At the just-concluded TSMC board of directors, the use of $21 billion in capital expenditures has been identified, including the purchase and upgrade of advanced technical equipment, the purchase of mature and special technical equipment, the purchase of advanced packaging equipment, the construction of factories and the purchase of facilities required for factories, as well as R&D capital investment and sustaining capital expenditures from the second quarter to the fourth quarter of 2022.

There have been reports that TSMC plans to increase capital expenditures from $30 billion in 2021 to $40 billion to $44 billion in 2022. 70% to 80% of which will focus on advanced semiconductor technology, covering N7, N5, N3, and N2 process nodes, including technology R&D and capacity expansion; 10% to 20% are used in professional technology; 10% is used in manufacturing equipment such as advanced packaging. If the rumors are true, the capital expenditures approved by the board represent about half of the original plan.

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