The battle for process leadership between TSMC and Samsung is getting bigger and bigger. Samsung Foundry has already started shipping chips produced using the 3nm process node to its partners. TSMC, on the other hand, has made it easier for its rival to take the process leadership by pressing the brakes in this area.In August, it was predicted that TSMC would begin production of 3nm (N3) chips in September. However, reports from Seeking Alpha now show that this expectation has been delayed to the fourth quarter. TSMC’s N3 production process will likely go into volume production later this month or next month. The vast majority of chips to be produced will be for Apple, which accounts for 25 percent of the revenue from foundries. TSMC will use its production lines to manufacture M3 chips for its biggest customer, Apple. It is even said that Apple may be the only company that can access TMSC N3 chips in 2023.
Competition in the field of production is at a high level
On the Samsung Foundry side, things are progressing according to plans for now. A while ago, Samsung presented a roadmap stating that it will start producing 2nm chips in 2025 and will switch to the 1.4nm process just two years later. Another competitor in the chip manufacturing and process process space is Intel. Intel aims to start production lines by switching to the 20A process process in 2024.
We can assume that the chips produced in the Intel 20A process are equivalent to 2nm. Intel will use new RibbonFET transistors known as Gate-All-Around (GAA) in this design. GAA is currently used by Samsung in their 3nm manufacturing process. TSMC will use it on the 2nm process node. It should be noted that with GAA, it is aimed to reduce current leakages sharply, to consume 50 percent less power and increase performance by 25 percent.Process leadership is critical
According to Seeking Alpha, TSMC will stay on the 3nm process node for about 2.75 years and on the 2nm process for 3 years. It looks like TSMC won’t be introducing any innovations for more than five years. So both Intel and Samsung Foundry are more likely to surpass TSMC, the world’s largest manufacturer.
Finally, TSMC currently owns 52.9 percent of the global chip casting industry. After that, Samsung continues to follow with 17.3 percent. Although the difference may seem big, let’s also mention that Intel aims to become a global leader again in 2025. Therefore, the entire industry that we come to 2025 may look very different than it is now.
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