According to industry sources, TSMC 3nm has entered the stage of risk trial production, with a monthly production capacity of 50-60, 000 pieces in the middle of next year, and Apple iPhone will be the first to be introduced. In addition, TSMC is said to plan to launch a cost-effective revamped 3nm program, which is expected to be carried by customers in the second wave, including AMD and Intel.
According to MoneyDJ, the new TSMC Southern 3nm plant officially opened this summer. According to public information, TSMC 3nm is expected to produce more than 600000 12-inch wafers in the second half of 2022. Prior to this, foreign media predicted that due to the delay in the launch of the 3nm, Apple's new iPhone processor will use the 4nm process next year, and the 3nm will be imported by iPad instead. However, the latest supply chain news shows that the first terminal product to import 3nm is still the iPhone.
According to the equipment supplier, with the advance of the advanced manufacturing process, the increase of the number of EUV mask layers makes the manufacturing cost more and more high, not every customer can afford it. Therefore, TSMC is evaluating the launch of the continuous improvement program (Coutinuous Improvement Plan), to launch a modified version of 3nm, by reducing the number of EUV mask layers, slightly increasing the chip size, reducing costs, improving yield, and providing customers with both performance and cost solutions.
However, the plan is still in the discussion stage, and it will take some time to reach mass production, so even if the plan is implemented, it will still not be able to catch up with the production of Apple's new iPhone. Therefore, the industry speculates that the new iPhone will still adopt the original 3nm process, and customers such as AMD and Intel may adopt a modified version of 3nm.
