Latest news with #C.C
Korea Herald
15-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Samsung, TSMC set stage for fierce race in 2nm chip tech
The global race to lead the market for next-generation 2-nanometer semiconductors is set to intensify in the second half of this year, with leading foundries TSMC and Samsung Electronics preparing to begin mass production. Meanwhile, Intel is looking to leapfrog the competition with the more advanced 1.8nm process, aiming to revive its struggling foundry business. According to industry sources Sunday, TSMC has already begun receiving client orders for its 2nm process node, which is expected to be produced at its Baoshan and Kaohsiung fabs in Taiwan in the second half of this year. For the first time, TSMC is adopting gate-all-around transistor architecture in its 2nm chips, marking a major technological shift. The new node is expected to offer 10-15 percent better performance, 25-30 percent power reduction and a 15 percent increase in transistor density compared to the current 3nm process. Samsung Electronics, the second-largest player in the foundry market, is also targeting the second half of 2025 for the start of its 2nm chip production. In its latest earnings report for the January-March period, Samsung confirmed that it will start mass production of mobile chips using its 2nm process node within the year. While the company did not specify what the product would be, it is widely expected to be the Exynos 2600, the upcoming application process chip for its flagship Galaxy S26 series, set for release in early 2026. Samsung was the industry's first chipmaker to adopt the advanced GAA architecture for its earlier 3nm node process, but it struggled with low yield rates in the initial stages. Leveraging its prior experience with the cutting-edge architecture, the company now aims to improve its manufacturing stability and output at the 2nm level. TSMC, which is dominating the global foundry market, securing 67.6 percent share in the first quarter this year, appears to be on track. Sources say the company has achieved yield rates above 60 percent, crossing the threshold for stable volume production. Samsung, holding a 7.7 percent market share, is tasked with raising its yield rate, which reportedly stands at around 40 percent. Amid the intense competition, the outlook for the 2nm node is optimistic, with demand projected to surpass that of the previous 3nm generation. TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei said during a recent earnings call that demand for 2nm has already outpaced that for 3nm, driven by both smartphone and high-performance computing applications. 'We expect the number of new tape-outs for 2nm technology in the first two years to exceed those of 3nm and even 5nm or 4nm,' Wei said, highlighting robust interest from key customers. Market intelligence firm Counterpoint Research echoed this projection, forecasting that TSMC will achieve full utilization of its 2nm production capacity by the fourth quarter of this year -- faster than any previous node. Major customers are expected to include Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek, AMD, and even Intel. Samsung's challenge will be to attract top tech clients to remain competitive in the advanced node market. For the mission, the chipmaker has recently brought on board Margaret Han, a former TSMC executive, to lead its US foundry business at Samsung Device Solutions Americas. Meanwhile, US chip giant Intel is betting on its 1.8nm process, branded as 18A, to reassert itself in the foundry market. At a recent Direct Connect event, Kevin O'Buckley, general manager of Intel Foundry Services, admitted the company was behind schedule. 'I'll be very direct to admit we did not deliver all of our schedules for 18A,' he said. Still, he emphasized that 18A is now on track for high-volume manufacturing in the second half of 2025, and that Intel believes it will soon be ready to challenge TSMC and Samsung in advanced nodes.
Business Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
TSMC says tariffs have some impact but AI demand robust
[HSINCHU, Taiwan] US tariffs are having some impact but demand for artificial intelligence (AI) remains strong and continues to outpace supply, the chief executive of Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC said on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump's trade policies have created much uncertainty for the global chip industry and TSMC, the top producer of the world's most advanced semiconductors whose customers include Apple and Nvidia. C.C. Wei, speaking at the company's annual shareholders meeting in the northern Taiwanese city of Hsinchu, said they have not seen any changes in customer behaviour due to tariff uncertainty and the situation may become clearer in coming months. 'Tariffs do have some impact on TSMC, but not directly. That's because tariffs are imposed on importers, not exporters. TSMC is an exporter. However, tariffs can lead to slightly higher prices, and when prices go up, demand may go down,' he said. 'If demand drops, TSMC's business could be affected. But I can assure you that AI demand has always been very strong and it's consistently outpacing supply.' In April, the company, the world's largest contract chipmaker, gave a bullish outlook for the year on robust demand for AI applications. REUTERS
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TSMC says tariffs have some impact but AI demand robust
HSINCHU, Taiwan (Reuters) - U.S. tariffs are having some impact but demand for artificial intelligence (AI) remains strong and continues to outpace supply, the chief executive of Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC said on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies have created much uncertainty for the global chip industry and TSMC, the top producer of the world's most advanced semiconductors whose customers include Apple and Nvidia. C.C. Wei, speaking at the company's annual shareholders meeting in the northern Taiwanese city of Hsinchu, said they have not seen any changes in customer behaviour due to tariff uncertainty and the situation may become clearer in coming months. "Tariffs do have some impact on TSMC, but not directly. That's because tariffs are imposed on importers, not exporters. TSMC is an exporter. However, tariffs can lead to slightly higher prices, and when prices go up, demand may go down," he said. "If demand drops, TSMC's business could be affected. But I can assure you that AI demand has always been very strong and it's consistently outpacing supply." In April, the company, the world's largest contract chipmaker, gave a bullish outlook for the year on robust demand for AI applications. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TSMC Is Targeting 2028 for Its A14 1.4nm Process
Hoo boy. Things are about to get tricky when talking about chip technologies. That's because TSMC finally made good on its promise to change its name structure for sub-2nm chips to one Apple already uses for its own processors. TSMC is going from its N naming convention—as in, N2, its 2nm process—to A for chips smaller than 2nm. The first of these will be A16 and A14, the latter of which TSMC just highlighted at the North America Technology Symposium. That's the upcoming 1.4nm process, which is not to be confused with Apple's A14 Bionic SoC. (Apple's chip appears in some older iPhones and is not made with a sub-nm process.) Perhaps worse is that Intel also uses the A naming structure—and for the same reason TSMC adopted it. The A in Intel's highly anticipated new A18, 1.8nm-class process stands for Angstrom, a unit of measurement suited to the ever-shrinking die processes. TSMC says that the A14 process will be a vast improvement compared with the N2 process. A14 offers as much as 15% faster speed than N2. And to top it off, A14 uses significantly less power, up to 30% less, than N2. TSMC plans to make chips for automotive, IoT, and smartphone uses, and will support N4C RF in N2 chips. And, of course, TSMC expects N2 to be picked up in large quantities for AI use. The company will have 9.5 reticle size Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) tech, supporting 12+ HBM stacks, by 2027. TSMC Fab 21. Credit: TSMC 'TSMC's cutting-edge logic technologies like A14 are part of a comprehensive suite of solutions that connect the physical and digital worlds to unleash our customers' innovation for advancing the AI future,' TSMC CEO Dr. C.C. Wei said in a statement. Don't expect to see A14 chips for a few years, though, with N2 hitting its stride and A16s on target for mass production in 2026. Chips based on the A16 process (not to be confused with Apple's 4nm A16 SoCs, also likely made in Arizona) will most likely reach the data center market in early 2027. The A16 process will be TSMC's first to include backside power delivery, also known as Super Power Rail, which allows for better performance and energy efficiency. It seems likely that TSMC will make at least some of its A14 wafers in the US, given that it already plans to make Fab 21 (its Arizona campus) sub-2nm capable in the coming years.
Globe and Mail
30-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Taiwan Semi Just Announced Its New A14 Tech. Should You Buy TSM Stock Now?
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) is the largest integrated circuit foundry in the world. It takes proprietary circuit designs from other companies and then produces them using advanced processes. Given this dominance in the foundry market, Taiwan Semi is often considered one of the most globally important semiconductor companies. TSM stock has had an underwhelming year so far, down roughly 17% in the year to date and nearly 30% off its 52-week high. Taiwan Semi shares appear to be recovering, up about 8% over the last five sessions. TSMC Reveals New A14 Process TSMC unveiled its latest logic process technology, A14, at its North American Technology Symposium in Santa Clara, California. This technology will improve smartphones' onboard artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and enhance the development of AI applications. The A14 technology will not be utilized in production until 2028. The N2 process will be entering production later this year and compared to the N2 process, A14 is 15% faster in terms of speed, has 20% greater logic density, and is 30% more power efficient. A14's name refers to 14 angstrom, or 1.4 nanometers, while the N2 is 2 nanometers. At present, market heavyweights such as Apple (AAPL), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Nvidia (NVDA), and Intel (INTC) are all expected to use the N2 process for their chips. 'TSMC's cutting-edge logic technologies like A14 are part of a comprehensive suite of solutions that connect the physical and digital worlds to unleash our customers' innovation for advancing the AI future,' said TSMC CEO C.C. Wei. During the Symposium, TSMC also introduced new logic, specialty, and 3D chip stacking techniques that can be used in high-performance computing, smartphones, self-driven automotive, and AI functionality in electronics and other appliances. TSMC's Q1 Results TSMC reported its first-quarter results on April 17, posting EPS of $2.12 for Q1 2025, surpassing analyst expectations. The company achieved revenue of $25.53 billion, marking a 41.6% year-over-year increase. However, revenue fell short of the previous quarter, showing a 3.4% decline. The gross margin for the quarter stood at 58.8%, while the operating margin reached 48.5%, and the net profit margin was 43.1%. Advanced technologies like 3-nanometer and 5-nanometer processes contributed significantly to wafer revenue, accounting for 73% of total revenue. Looking ahead, TSMC expects Q2 2025 revenue to range between $28.4 billion and $29.2 billion, supported by strong demand for its cutting-edge 3-nm and 5-nm technologies. Gross profit margin is projected to be between 57% and 59%, while operating profit margin is anticipated to range from 47% to 49%. The company remains cautious about potential risks from tariff policies but is optimistic about sustained growth in AI-related demand. Analyst Ratings on TSM Stock Analysts are very fond of the blockbuster semiconductor stock. TSM has a consensus 'Strong Buy' from analysts with a mean price target of $229.38, reflecting upside potential of 40% from the current price level. The stock is under the watch of 11 analysts and has received eight 'Strong Buy' ratings, two 'Moderate Buy' ratings, and one 'Hold' rating.
