TSMC Ramps Up Specialty Process Capacity to Meet Next-Gen Tech Demand
With the implementation of new wafer fab projects in Germany and Japan, and the capacity expansion of fabs in mainland China, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) plans to increase its specialty process capacity by 50% by 2027. TSMC is not only converting existing production lines to specialty processes but also constructing new ones. One of the primary drivers of this demand is the advent of next-generation specialty process technologies.
According to Anandtech, TSMC revealed at a technical seminar this week that this is the first time in a long while that it has built production lines specifically to meet specialized technical needs. Over the next four to five years, TSMC will gradually increase its specialty process capacity to 1.5 times the current level, not only expanding the footprint of its manufacturing network but also enhancing the resilience of the entire fab supply chain.
In addition to the well-known N5 and N3 process technologies for logic chips, TSMC also offers a range of specialty process foundry services, including those for manufacturing power semiconductors, CMOS image sensors, mixed-signal I/O, and ultra-low-power applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT). Generally, these specialty process technologies lag somewhat behind, but regardless of the underlying technology, capacity demands for specialty processes grow in tandem with TSMC’s main logic process nodes, and TSMC periodically reassesses and plans its specialty process capacity accordingly.
Expanding production capacity for different technologies has been one of TSMC’s expansion goals in recent years. To meet future demands for all types of process technologies, TSMC is also actively developing advanced specialty process technologies. The next to arrive is N4e, an ultra-low-power process based on 4nm, although TSMC has not disclosed many technical details. Currently, TSMC’s most advanced process of this kind is N6e, which operates at voltages between 0.4V and 0.9V. In the future, N4e may lower this to below 0.4V.
