TSMC is rumored to have reached a 3nm chips agreement with Intel
As the world’s largest wafer foundry, TSMC is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the current boom in the semiconductor industry. TSMC’s revenue in 2021 reached a record $56.82 billion, a year-on-year increase of 24.1%, with N7 and N5 process nodes accounting for half of the revenue, and its revenue is expected to maintain growth in the next few years. In addition to the strong market demand for semiconductors, the cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing technology that TSMC has mastered is one of the reasons for the rapid development of TSMC.
In order to ensure that it continues to master the leading process technology, TSMC plans to increase capital expenditures from $30 billion in 2021 to $40 billion to $44 billion in 2022. TSMC said that 70% to 80% of it will focus on advanced semiconductor technology, which means covering N7, N5, N3, and N2 process nodes, including technology research and development and capacity expansion. In addition, TSMC will use 10% to 20% for professional technology, and another 10% for advanced packaging and other manufacturing equipment.
TSMC will mass-produce the N3 process node in the second half of 2022 and plans to launch an enhanced 3nm process called N3E, with mass production in the second half of 2023. TSMC said that when the N3 process node is mass-produced, it will become the industry’s most advanced PPA and transistor technology, and it will also become its other mass-produced and durable process node. The N2 process node is still in the research and development stage, and the related supporting fabs are already under planning or construction.
According to DigiTimes reports, TSMC has reached a foundry agreement with Intel for the N3 process node and will build a new factory in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan, specifically for Intel. The two parties will carry out more extensive and in-depth large-scale cooperation in the next few years, and Intel is also likely to jump to the top three customers of TSMC in 2023, becoming a key source of TSMC’s continued revenue growth in the next few years.
