Popular Keywords
News
[News] TSMC Targets to Increase Specialty Capacity by 50% by 2027, with N4e Reportedly its Latest Weapon
In addition to the aggressive overseas expansion plans recently, TSMC also demonstrates its ambition of increasing specialty capacity, targeting to be expanded by 50% by 2027, according to a report by AnandTech. A key driver of this demand will be TSMC’s forthcoming specialty node, N4e, a 4nm-class ultra-low-power production node.
Citing Kevin Zhang, TSMC’s Senior Vice President of the Business Development and Overseas Operations Office, the report revealed that TSMC plans to expand its specialty capacity by up to 1.5 times in the next four to five years. To accomplish this goal, it would not only convert existing capacity, but construct new fab space dedicated to specialty processes.
TSMC offers a range of specialty nodes catering to various applications such as power semiconductors, mixed analog I/O, and ultra-low-power applications (e.g., IoT), according to the report. Currently, the semiconductor giant’s most advanced specialty node is N6e, a variant derived from N7/N6 that accommodates operating voltages ranging from 0.4V to 0.9V. With N4e, TSMC aims to support voltages below 0.4V.
According to the materials TSMC provided in its latest earnings call, in the first quarter, HPC accounted for 46% of its total revenue, while IoT-related and automotive applications accounted for 6% of its total revenue, respectively. All the applications mentioned above are closely connected to specialty nodes.
TSMC’s overseas expansion plans are also closely related to its focus on specialty nodes. At the grand opening of JASM’s first Kumamoto plant in February, TSMC Chairman Mark Liu stated that JASM would use the latest green manufacturing practices to produce best-in-class specialty semiconductor technology.
Read more
(Photo credit: TSMC)
