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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced that commercial production of its highly anticipated A14 process is slated to begin in 2028. According to a news report by Focus Taiwan, the announcement signals the next major leap in advanced semiconductor manufacturing as the global chip supply chain races to meet intensifying technological demands.
The timeline outlines an aggressive roadmap for the world's largest contract chipmaker. At a recent investor conference, TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei stated that the A14 process represents the second generation of the chipmaker's nanosheet transistor technology. According to the news report, Wei provided specific engineering benchmarks for the upcoming technology node. He noted that compared with the 2-nanometer process, the latest technology the company has mass-produced, the A14 process is expected to offer a 10-15 per cent speed improvement at the same power. Alternatively, the company anticipates the node will deliver a 25-30 per cent power reduction at the same speed, while the new process is expected to boost logic density by almost 20 per cent. The manufacturing volume for this upcoming node is projected to surpass previous iterations. Wei emphasized the production scale of the A14 process will be larger than that of the 2nm process, which is expected to help cement TSMC's lead over its peers in technology development. Looking even further ahead, the company indicated that its roadmap extends well into the next decade. Following the A14 process, Wei said, TSMC aims to begin commercial production of the more sophisticated A13 and A12 processes in 2029. Meanwhile, TSMC is currently developing an alternative IC assembly technology in addition to the Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) technology, which is widely used in AI applications and in high demand in the global market, Wei added. According to the news report, TSMC needs about one year to bring the new IC assembly technology to commercial production, which is expected to cut its operating costs, he said. As CoWoS services are in tight supply, TSMC is trying its best to narrow the gap between supply and demand, Wei added. TSMC will be delighted to see more manufacturers invest in advanced IC assembly technologies to provide more flexibility to clients in production planning, he said. (ANI)
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