Amid NVIDIA’s leadership in the AI wave, demand for CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate) has tripled, driving TSMC to aggressively expand CoWoS capacity, with a corresponding surge in demand for System-in-Integrated-Circuit (SoIC) solutions.
According to a report from MoneyDJ citing industry sources, it has suggested that in addition to AMD, which has already implemented SoIC in production, Apple is conducting limited trial production. Furthermore, collaborations are underway with NVIDIA and Broadcom, indicating that SoIC is poised to become TSMC’s next advanced packaging solution following CoWoS.
TSMC’s SoIC is the industry’s first high-density 3D chip stacking technology, enabling heterogeneous integration of chips with different sizes, functionalities, and nodes using Chip on Wafer packaging. Currently, production takes place at the AP6 assembly and testing facility in Zhunan, Taiwan. It’s rumored that the planned advanced packaging facility in Chiayi, Taiwan will include not only two CoWoS plants but also an SoIC facility.
AMD is the first customer to adopt SoIC technology, with its latest MI300 chip using SoIC combined with CoWoS solution. Apple, TSMC’s primary customer, is reportedly interested in SoIC and plans to incorporate it with Hybrid molding technology for Mac products. Small-scale trials are currently underway, with mass production anticipated between 2025 and 2026. NVIDIA and Broadcom are also collaborating in this field.
As per the same report citing industry sources, the SoIC technology is still in its early stages, with monthly production capacity expected to reach around 2,000 wafers by the end of this year. There are prospects for this capacity to double this year and potentially exceed 10,000 wafers by 2027.
With support from major players like AMD, Apple, and NVIDIA, TSMC’s expansion in SoIC is viewed as confident, securing future orders for high-end chip manufacturing and advanced packaging.
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(Photo credit: TSMC)