Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMC says it will start producing cutting-edge 1.6-nanometer chips by 2026, amid the world's top chip maker vying for its leadership in the next decade, writes UNN citing Nikkei Asia.
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TSMC unveiled its A16 technology at the North American Technology Symposium in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday, saying the introduction of 1.6nm chip technology could "significantly improve the density and performance of logic chips.
"At TSMC, we offer our customers the most comprehensive set of technologies to realize their vision of artificial intelligence, (using) the world's most advanced silicon," CEO Xi Xi Wei said at the event.
The technology uses nanosheet transistors with "backside power rails," an entirely new approach that feeds power to the chips from the bottom up rather than the top down, avoiding complex internal wiring and improving energy efficiency, the publication writes.
Intel is the first in the industry to announce that it will begin utilizing reverse power, saying it will be available in Intel 20A and 18A (2nm and 1.8nm) technologies as early as 2025.
Earlier this year, the leading US chip maker also unveiled its 14A (1.4nm) technology. Samsung plans mass production of 1.4 nm chips in 2027.
Supplement
In general, the publication points out, a smaller nanometer size indicates a more advanced and powerful chip. Traditionally, this number denoted the distance between transistors on a chip. Smaller spacing allows more transistors to be placed in the same space, resulting in a significant increase in performance. However, modern chip fabrication has become increasingly complex. Pushing the boundaries of computing power now requires not only a reduction in the size of transistors, but also a complete overhaul of their structure. Starting with 2nm technology, TSMC and Intel will move to the so-called circular gate transistor or nanosheet transistor structure. Samsung has started testing such technology with its 3nm process.
Apple's latest premium iPhone Pro uses TSMC's 3nm technology. Many industry executives expect that generative artificial intelligence will eventually require even more advanced chips.
Currently, only TSMC, Intel and Samsung can continue to invest in ever-smaller transistor production and take chip manufacturing to new frontiers.
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The U.S. government has given these three companies a total of $21.5 billion under the Chip Act to bring the most advanced chip manufacturing to U.S. soil.
According to Counterpoint, a technology market research firm, TSMC is the leader in foundry services, a business that produces chips for others, with a market share of about 60%. Samsung follows in second place with about 13% share, followed by Taiwan's UMC with 6% share. Intel used to mainly make chips for internal use, but has entered the arena, promising to be the No. 2 player by 2030.