TSMC Ends Its Volume Discounts For the Biggest Customers, Could Drive Product Prices Up

[pjl321]

3% marginal discount isn't the whole story, those who have access to 6nm node is more vital. 5nm is not cheap, but 5>6nm ported adoption should be the hot commodity.

It's my understanding that 6nm is a variant of 7nm and isn't compatible with 5nm which is totally different, ie it would cost a lot more to port from 5nm to 6nm than what slight saving you see.

 

[NukeDukem]

Is this their version of 'power outage'?

 

[mtcn77]

It's my understanding that 6nm is a variant of 7nm and isn't compatible with 5nm which is totally different, ie it would cost a lot more to port from 5nm to 6nm than what slight saving you see.

Great intuition, although 6nm is the 7nm node with 5nm rules(that is the striking feature, that it can be backported to DUV!). It foregoes EUV, but that is what you get for cheap process node updates.
Just imagine TSMC can differentiate 2 DUV nodes(enabling clients one migration without the redesign hassle and without any over investment) in the process pipeline of 1 EUV. I mean - what a company! It is huge...

 

[stimpy88]

Is this their version of 'power outage'?

No, it's their version of Intel.