TSMC postpones mass production of 3nm chips again

TSMC has once again postponed mass production of 3nm chips for three months, highlighting the technological prowess of Samsung Electronics which has already launched mass production of 3nm chips.

TSMC said in a recent conference call that mass production of 3nm chips will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with high yield.

Taiwanese media have so far reported that TSMC will begin mass production of 3nm chips around the end of September. However, TSMC postponed mass production of 3nm chips for another three months. He said the main reason for the delay was that customer demand exceeded his ability to supply due to an equipment delivery issue. He added that its 3nm production lines will be fully operational next year.

TSMC began mass production using a 7nm process in the second quarter of 2018 and a 5nm process in the second quarter of 2020, respectively. So far, it has migrated to the next level of foundry technology every two years, but it takes longer to launch a 3nm process.

TSMC said on a conference call in the second quarter of last year that migrating to a 3nm process would take three to four months longer than launching a 5nm process.

Under these circumstances, Samsung Electronics’ success in mass-producing 3nm chips is once again attracting the attention of the global semiconductor industry. Samsung officially announced volume production of 3nm chips on June 30 and shipped its first mass-produced 3nm chips on July 25.