TSMC’s upcoming 2nm chips will be its first to use gate-all-around transistor architecture

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is reportedly racing to make sure its 2nm chips are on track for mass production in 2025 to meet demand from customers like Apple and Nvidia, according to UDN.

Sources told UDN that engineers have been sent to the company’s R&D center in Hsinchu to get ready for 2nm trial production. The company aims to produce 1,000 wafers this year, while trial production is expected for 2024, and mass production targeted for 2025, according to UDN.

While the company’s 3nm chips are made using fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) architecture, its upcoming 2nm chips will use the new gate-all-around (GAA) transistor set up.

The report also noted the Taiwanese chipmaker is using AI to achieve efficiency gains in its manufacturing process that should help it save energy and cut carbon emissions, according to Tom’s Hardware. These new Nvidia-powered AI production methods, known as AutoDMP, are being used to optimize chip designs 30x faster than previous methods and technologies, per Tom’s Hardware.

TSMC will also have to deal with tougher competition from Samsung and Intel for its upcoming 2nm chips. Intel is planning on having its 2nm chips ready in 2024, while Samsung expects to have its 2nm process ready for mass production in 2025.