TSMC gets government approval for 2-nanometer chip plant

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited July 2021
Taiwan's environmental regulator has given Apple supplier TSMC permission to build its most advanced processor facility yet, producing 2-nanometer chips from 2023.

Chip Wafer


Processor manufacturer TSMC is reportedly already planning 3-nanometer chips for the 2022 "iPhone 14," and Apple has bought out its entire capacity. Now, though, the company is to begin construction on a new plant in Hsinchu, Taiwan, which will produce 2-nanometer processors.

According to Nikkei Asia, Taiwan's Environmental Review Committee has approved TSMC's proposal. The plan now is for construction of the building to begin in early 2022, with equipment being installed by 2023.

"Semiconductor is one of the most crucial industries to Taiwan's economic growth," said Lin Chuan-neng, Economics Vice Minister. "The government will help TSMC to achieve its environmental targets while continuing to build the advanced technologies."

The new plant is to be built over around 50 acres in the Baoshan township of Hsinchu. TSMC estimates that it will require 98,000 tons of water every day. By 2025, TSMC aims to use 10% recycled water, and then 100% by 2030.

TSMC is separately building a new 5-nanometer plant in Arizona, and is reportedly also considering a new site in Germany.

Taiwan's approval of the new plant comes after Intel's announcement of its intention to catch up with chip foundries like TSMC.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    bageljoeybageljoey Posts: 2,004member
    I know that in 5 years it will
    seem quaint that this boggles my mind, but holy cow!  3nm to 2nm is a huge improvement in such a short span!
  • Reply 2 of 10
    thttht Posts: 5,443member
    bageljoey said:
    I know that in 5 years it will
    seem quaint that this boggles my mind, but holy cow!  3nm to 2nm is a huge improvement in such a short span!
    It's going to be your typical 70% reduction in linear size, which equates to a 40 to 50% reduction in die area, every 18 to 24 months. Ie, Moore's law. For economic and probably engineering reasons, this is what the industry has work towards for the past 50 years. Basically, it's the knee in the curve for the best bang for the buck.
    rundhvid
  • Reply 3 of 10
    lukas_canjilukas_canji Posts: 22member
    I am very curious as to what the next innovation will be that allows increased performance once we hit 1nm. 

    I have seen that AMD has started to experiment with 3d stacking, so I assume that apple will start designing chips that integrate this design. Really cool. 
  • Reply 4 of 10
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    bageljoey said:
    I know that in 5 years it will
    seem quaint that this boggles my mind, but holy cow!  3nm to 2nm is a huge improvement in such a short span!
    My thought exactly 2nm? It’s amazing. Doesn’t seem that long ago when 200nm was norm. 
    edited July 2021
  • Reply 5 of 10
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,421member
    Intel announced it will regain the lead in 2025 but given TSMC's announcement the day after and the approval, it looks like Intel is going to be behind as usual. 
     
    Honestly, Intel has been lagging and its x86 performance stagnating for too long so I am sure happy to see Apple for once get rid of x86 in favor for more efficient chips. 

    I am definitely happy with Apple's focus on energy efficiency while boosting performance - some state laws already made laws illegal to buy PCs that exceed the energy consumption which means some Dell Alienware PCs are not allowed to be sold to those states. 
  • Reply 6 of 10
    nadrielnadriel Posts: 92member
    Will this be GAAFET instead of FinFET then? Let’s see how the mass production of GAAFETs comes around, they should allow better miniaturization over FinFET (more resistance to current leakage).

    I wonder when they’ll come up with a more realistic name for their manufacturing process.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 7 of 10
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,421member
    nadriel said:
    Will this be GAAFET instead of FinFET then? Let’s see how the mass production of GAAFETs comes around, they should allow better miniaturization over FinFET (more resistance to current leakage).

    I wonder when they’ll come up with a more realistic name for their manufacturing process.
    Yes according to this:

    https://www.notebookcheck.net/TSMC-to-implement-gate-all-around-GAAFET-transistors-on-the-2-nm-nodes-by-2023.494850.0.html
    doozydozennadriel
  • Reply 8 of 10
    jccjcc Posts: 326member
    They need to build this anywhere but Taiwan as Taiwan could be in China’s hands in 5 years. We must not let China have the capability to produce the most advance chips in the world.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    tedz98tedz98 Posts: 80member
    State laws restricting my choice to purchase a high performance PC are overly restrictive and another example of the ongoing loss of freedoms in the United States. Somehow in California it’s acceptable to purchase an electric vehicle that requires over 100 kilowatts of electricity to charge up. But I can’t buy an Alienware computer because it uses 1 kilowatt of power to run. So illogical.
    FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 10 of 10
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,130member
    tedz98 said:
    State laws restricting my choice to purchase a high performance PC are overly restrictive and another example of the ongoing loss of freedoms in the United States. Somehow in California it’s acceptable to purchase an electric vehicle that requires over 100 kilowatts of electricity to charge up. But I can’t buy an Alienware computer because it uses 1 kilowatt of power to run. So illogical.
    Your state law doesn't restrict your choice to purchase a high performance PC, it restricts the manufacturers ability to sell PCs, some PCs, that exceed a certain energy threshold when idle, sleeping, or turned off.  There are some non-clickbait videos on YouTube that do a pretty decent job at explaining exactly what the regulations (which have actually been around since 2016 or something like that, and are just now activating) do, in fact, restrict.  I suggest JayzTwoCents, Gamers Nexus, and Linus Tech Tips for some clarity.
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