"TSMC 3nm Process Reaches 100% Utilization Rate in Shortest Time Ever"

Taiwan Semiconductor Foundry Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has recorded its fastest-ever full-scale operation rate of its advanced process.



Taiwan TSMC logo [Photo = Yonhap News]



According to Counterpoint Research on the 21st, TSMC's 3nm process reached a 100% operation rate for the first time in five quarters since mass production. This is



due to a surge in demand for x86 PC CPUs and other application processors (AP SoCs), including Apple's A17 Pro and A18 Pro.



Counterpoint Research forecasts that this high operation rate will continue as demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) increases with the full-scale introduction of AI ASICs, such as Nvidia's Rubin graphics processing unit (GPU), Google's TPU v7, and AWS's Trainium 3.



Older processes, such as 6/7nm and 4/5nm, were mainly focused on the smartphone market, so production expansion was relatively slow. The 6·7nm process utilization rate peaked in 2020 due to the surge in smartphone demand, while the 5·4nm process showed a gradual recovery with momentum rebounding from mid-2023.



This recovery was mainly due to the surge in demand for AI accelerators such as NVIDIA's H100, B100, B200, and GB200, which contributed to the expansion of AI data centers and drove up the overall utilization rate of the 4·5nm process again, Counterpoint Research analyzed.



TSMC's 2nm process is expected to reach full utilization rate in just four quarters after mass production.



Counterpoint Research explained, "This is faster than any other process in history, and can be interpreted as the result of strong simultaneous demand for smartphones and AI."



TSMC also announced in its earnings announcement for the first quarter of 2025 that "new designs in the first two years of mass production of 2nm technology are expected to be greater than those of 3nm and 4/5nm, and smartphones and high-performance computing (HPC) applications will drive demand."



In addition to Apple, major semiconductor companies such as Qualcomm, MediaTek, Intel, and AMD are known to be considering the introduction of 2nm technology. The adoption of 2nm technology by these companies is expected to contribute to maintaining high operating rates of the 2nm process.



TSMC is investing up to $165 billion in its Arizona plant to mitigate geopolitical risks and keep up with growing consumer demand in the United States. The plant plans to produce 4nm, 3nm, as well as 2nm and advanced processes in the future, and in the long term, it is expected that about 30% of the total 2nm production capacity can be secured in the United States.



TSMC has maintained its core R&D and process design in Taiwan, while expanding its production in the United States, so that up to 30% of its 2nm process and subsequent process production capacity is produced in the United States.



Counterpoint Research evaluated that "This dual strategy reduces TSMC's geopolitical risk while providing production capacity tailored to customer needs, and will enable TSMC to maintain high utilization rates in advanced processes beyond 2030, especially in the AI ​​and HPC fields."





https://www.inews24.com/view/blogger/1846708

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