Many semiconductor manufacturers are moving to 2nm lithography, and in the meantime, TSMC and Intel are in a fierce competition over which company will have the superior technology in the next few years. The Taiwanese company is confident in its current path, but Intel aims to reassert its dominance in the semiconductor industry by introducing the 2nm manufacturing process before any other company.
Pat GelsingerIntel’s CEO has claimed that the company’s proprietary lithography called 18A (1.8nm lithography) can outperform TSMC’s 2nm chips. These statements contradict the recent claims of the Taiwanese competitor. Gelsinger made these statements In an interview with Barrons brought up
Gelsinger is optimistic about the future road map of the blue team. The intensification of competition between Intel and TSMC takes place in the midst of increasing tensions between the United States and China. As the leader in the semiconductor market, TSMC currently produces 3nm chips for the iPhone and MacBook laptops.
TSMC claims that the company’s optimized 3nm lithography, called N3P, will have performance comparable to Intel’s 18A lithography. The Taiwanese giant expects to mass produce N3P in the second half of 2024, at the same time as Intel’s 20A (2nm) and 18A (1.8nm) technology launches.
TSMC is confident that the 2nm N2 process, scheduled for 2025, will outperform N3P and 18A. Apple is likely to be the first customer of TSMC’s 2nm chips and will use it in the iPhone 17 Pro.
On the other hand, Intel, in its new technologies, for the first time, will abandon the old FinFET transistors and use the new RibbonFET transistors, which enable higher processing power with lower energy consumption.
Intel and TSMC aren’t the only companies gearing up to build 2nm chips. Samsung wants to start mass production of its 2nm chips in 2025. It looks like the close competition between the tech giants will be spectacular in the coming years.
