Friday, April 22nd 2022
Apple, Intel to Become Alpha Customers for TSMC's 2 nm Manufacturing Node
Industry reports and sources in the financial community have placed Apple and Intel as the two premier customers for TSMC's upcoming N2 node. N2, which is expected to enter volume production by the end of 2025, will be TSMC's first manufacturing process making use of GAAFET (Gate-All-Around Field-Effect Transistor) design. If there are no significant market upheavals or unexpected snags in technology transition, TSMC will be late to the GAAFET party, following Samsung's 3GAE node in 2023 and Intel's first Angstrom-era process, Intel 20A, in 2024.
While Apple's uptake on TSMC's latest manufacturing technology is practically a given at this point, the fact that Intel too is taking up TSMC's N2 node showcases the company's evolved business tactics after the introduction of its IDM 2.0 strategy (IDM standing for Integrated Device Manufacturer, meaning Intel too will fabricate chips according to clients' specs). While pre-Pat Gelsinger was seemingly scared of touching any other foundries' products - mostly from the fact that Intel does have its own significant manufacturing capabilities and R&D, after all - the new Intel is clearly more at peace with driving its competitor's revenues.
As there's a significant cost in adopting a new manufacturing node, Apple is especially primed to take advantage of technological innovations due to the fact that it sells complete systems, which allows it to increase margins on other hardware elements to make up for the significant chip manufacturing costs. While Intel itself doesn't enjoy that advantage, it's expected that the company will leverage TSMC's N2 mode for its own SoCs and Lunar Lake GPU tiles, which the company placed on its roadmap with clear intention of using post-N3 manufacturing tech.
Source:
Tom's Hardware
While Apple's uptake on TSMC's latest manufacturing technology is practically a given at this point, the fact that Intel too is taking up TSMC's N2 node showcases the company's evolved business tactics after the introduction of its IDM 2.0 strategy (IDM standing for Integrated Device Manufacturer, meaning Intel too will fabricate chips according to clients' specs). While pre-Pat Gelsinger was seemingly scared of touching any other foundries' products - mostly from the fact that Intel does have its own significant manufacturing capabilities and R&D, after all - the new Intel is clearly more at peace with driving its competitor's revenues.
64 Comments on Apple, Intel to Become Alpha Customers for TSMC's 2 nm Manufacturing Node
tSMC will be the fist fab to have production capacities (its the only reason I can think-of why Intel has bet-it-all on reserving a second manufacturing line!)
To wit: Buried in the fine print of the contracts with Apple is a clause that secures them priority/top-dog status over & above all other customers for like the next 10 years or so.....
If you think for 1 nanosecond that Intel is smart enough to out-maneuver Apple on this situation, then I have some prime beachfront resort property to sell you.... in Kansas City :roll:
10 was repurposed as 7,
7 was renamed to 4
and there is no 5, you see.
And 2024 on 20/18A is way way better than just the ordinary 5, it's the old 3nm.
Look at the feature sizes of the former processes:
5 nm process - Wikipedia
I mean the customer is not stupid, he will see the final performance and will understand that Samsung is a no-go.
Also, most people seem to think Intel is the big boy with lots of money here, but reality is that their market cap is less than 1/2 of TSMC's.
Market cap has to do with trading shares, nothing else including cash on hand, investments, etc. It's a crude manner to compare two corporations in a wildly complex world.
www.oled-a.org/ibmmdashfirst-to-produce-2nm-chip_051621.html
Also in colour: semiengineering.com/new-transistor-structures-at-3nm-2nm/ (Fig. 3)
Market cap is crude, yes, but it is the easiest method to illustrate the value (and therefore, financial power) of a company.
Intel, Samsung and Tsmc use the same machine's to make they're own designs happen, they're all doing they're own R&D IP to create the circuit or buying in IP for incorporation.
The technology is driven by ASML ,the designs are driven by they're owner's, and Intel's PDK isn't the same as Tsmc.
Also your picking up on AMD yet I repeat Apple should be first or Nvidia no?!.
After nanometre it's Angstrom, see Intel's pr release.
Apple and Nvidia have no real correlation to AMD or Intel as Apple is mostly phones and computers that are not really in competition with AMD or Intel, and the other is GPU's only.
The Amd v Intel shit is caused by some having, and showing a bias.
I have been involved in the past I'll admit As an Adult should, I was wrong in that but realisation doesn't hurt and striving against your own biases helps a person be more reasoned in they're argument.
SI has little to do with naming convention, it should but by and large they're all decided by marketing men now not reality.