Wow, $20K for a 3nm wafer. My guess these are pretty big, but I forget what diameters they are running these days. Did they stop at 12" or is it larger? Also, this is the first I recall hearing of revenue recovering in 2H 2023... but the probable lows put in by LRCX and others with substantial gains already, already telegraphed the good news timing.
TSMC gearing up for 3nm capacity expansion, 2nm fab construction
Monica Chen, Tainan; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES Asia
Friday 30 December 2022
TSMC chairman Mark Liu (center) at a ceremony marking the start of 3nm production. Credit: DIGITIMES
In southern Taiwan, TSMC is constructing phase-8 facilities at Fab 18 for additional 3nm capacity, while in the northern and central regions of the country, 2nm fabs are being prepared in six phases, according to the pure-play foundry.
During a company event on December 29, TSMC announced it had moved 3nm technology to volume production "with good yields." TSMC also held a topping ceremony on the day for its Fab 18 Phase 8 facility, where the foundry will be scaling up its 3nm chip output.
Each of the eight phases of TSMC's Fab 18 has cleanroom space of 58,000 square meters, which the company claims is twice as large as a standard logic fab." TSMC's total investment in Fab 18 will exceed NT$1.86 trillion (US$60.6 billion).
At the event, the foundry also unveiled plans to set up its 2nm fabs at the Hsinchu Science Park (HSP) and the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP), in projects consisting of a total of six phases.
TSMC also expects to start operating its global R&D center at HSP in the second quarter of 2023.
"This 3nm Volume Production and Capacity Expansion Ceremony demonstrates that we are taking concrete action to develop advanced technology and expand capacity in Taiwan," TSMC chairman Mark Liu remarked at the event. Fab 18 plays an important role in TSMC's 3nm process capacity ramp-up, Liu indicated.
TSMC is also building 3nm capacity at its Arizona site in the US, with production slated to begin in 2026.
TSMC has kicked off 3nm chip shipments in small volume in the fourth quarter of 2022, with the output poised to grow substantially starting the second half of next year, according to sources at semiconductor equipment makers. The availability of N3E, an enhanced version of N3, will be driving the substantial output growth.
TSMC's sale price per wafer is also set to jump when N3E becomes available, the sources said. The foundry will see its wafer prices for 3nm top US$20,000 in 2023, compared with US$16,000 for 5nm in 2020.
The rapidly growing 3nm chip output at TSMC may help the foundry's revenue "fully recover" in the second half of 2023, making up for its revenue drop in the first half, the sources indicated.
digitimes.com |
