TSMC Expanding 28 nm Manufacturing Facility

[btarunr]

With the advent of highly-complex 28 nm discrete PC graphics processors, and ARM designers lined up with their increasingly powerful SoCs, TSMC is bound to see a pile up of orders for chips built on its newest bulk manufacturing process. In view of this, the "messiah of the fabless" is planning an expansion of its 28 nm manufacturing facility. This expansion is set to occur a little later in 2012. TSMC reportedly is running at full capacity at its 12-inch fabs because of strong demand for 28 nm as well as 40 nm and 65 nm. Due to this, some designers are approaching TSMC's competitors UMC and Samsung for 28 nm bulk manufacturing, according to sources. The expansion will follow a revision of TSMC's capex target for 2012, up from US $6 billion.



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[radarblade]

This is a definite need right now considering Nvidia's on the brink of their Kepler launch and Intel with their Ivy CPU's not so far away. Companies are demanding more 28nm chips than TSMC can actually produce I guess at full capacity. It's a win win situation for them.

 

[btarunr]

This is a definite need right now considering Nvidia's on the brink of their Kepler launch and Intel with their Ivy CPU's not so far away.

Intel doesn't use TSMC for anything. It has its own fabs, which are bigger than TSMC's.

And Ivy Bridge is built on 22 nm, not 28 nm.

 

[m1dg3t]

Hopefully this doesn't affect their current mfg

 

[Casecutter]

Does it seem a little late if now only "planning an expansion"! They're just now figuring out the 28Nm pricing increase doesn't mean diddly if you don't have the production capability to capitalize. It tells me that they've or do have significant production problems that have and will curtail project volumes and looking to quickly augment that. My question of fast can this happen... I know "not fast enough" for anybody or to make any differance in the next 6-8mo.

How bad is TSMC?