➀ TSMC is set to acquire its first high-NA EUV lithography machine by the end of the year; ➁ Intel currently has two of these $350 million machines; ➂ TSMC plans to use the new machines for its A10 process in 2030, two generations after its 2nm process.
Recent #TSMC news in the semiconductor industry
➀ TSMC is set to receive the first shipment of the world's most advanced chipmaking machines from ASML.
➁ These high NA EUV lithography machines are the most expensive chipmaking equipment, costing around $350 million each.
➂ TSMC will receive them just months behind U.S. rival Intel.
➀ Samsung Electronics reported a better-than-expected profit in its third-quarter earnings, despite a significant decline in profits. ➁ The company highlighted its advancement in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supply. ➂ Samsung hinted at a potential partnership with TSMC, indicating a strategic move in the semiconductor industry.
➀ Intel's CEO reportedly made a misstep that offended TSMC; ➁ The incident led to TSMC canceling a 40% discount; ➃ The discount cancellation is ahead of Intel's Q3 financial announcement.
➀ TSMC is in a dispute with a golf course over land for a 2nm chip plant; ➁ The Central Taiwan Science Park has set a deadline for the golf course to resolve its issues; ➂ The land acquisition for the expansion is crucial for TSMC's technology development.
➀ OpenAI is developing its first inference chip in collaboration with Broadcom and TSMC to support its AI systems;
➁ In addition to NVIDIA chips, OpenAI plans to use AMD chips to meet its growing infrastructure needs;
➂ OpenAI has researched various plans to diversify chip supply and reduce costs, including internal design and manufacturing, but has temporarily abandoned this ambitious plan due to high costs and time requirements;
➃ OpenAI has formed a team of about 20 people led by Richard Ho and Thomas Norrie to develop the chip, aiming to launch the first AI chip in 2026;
➄ OpenAI is exploring other parallel solutions and may introduce more partners in the future;
➅ The development of self-developed chips is part of a broader trend among major tech and AI companies to develop dedicated hardware to meet the unique needs of AI workloads.
➀ OpenAI, Broadcom, and TSMC are collaborating on an AI inference chip; ➁ This move deviates from OpenAI's previous strategy of raising funds to build a network of fabs for AI IC production; ➂ Intel has also shifted its focus to inference ICs, possibly due to Nvidia's strong position in the AI training IC market.
➀ OpenAI is collaborating with Broadcom and TSMC to develop its first in-house AI chip; ➁ The company is scaling back its foundry ambitions due to cost and time constraints; ➂ OpenAI is adopting a strategy of using industry partnerships and a mix of internal and external approaches to manage chip supply and costs.
➀ Innolux denies plans to sell its plant in southern Taiwan amidst rumors of TSMC's potential purchase. ➁ The AI boom has increased demand for advanced packaging production capacity, driving industry growth. ➂ The situation highlights the strategic importance of semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Taiwan.
➀ TSMC has reportedly stopped shipments to at least two chip developers; ➁ The move is suspected to be due to their attempts to bypass U.S. export restrictions; ➂ Bitmain's supply is reportedly at risk due to this action.
➀ AI's strong demand for semiconductors has led to a shortage in advanced manufacturing capacity.➁ There are rumors that TSMC is interested in purchasing an entire factory from Chunghwa Picture Tubes, targeting the seventh factory in South Science Park.➃ Chunghwa Picture Tubes' spokesperson emphasized yesterday that the sale of the entire factory is not on their agenda.
➀ The recent massive subsidies for TSMC by the US, EU, Japan, and China have sparked attention, with news of accidents and construction progress at their factories.
➁ TSMC's European factory in Dresden, Germany, has started construction, with an investment of over 10 billion euros, aiming to produce automotive semiconductors by 2027.
➂ The US is providing TSMC with up to $66 billion in subsidies for its Arizona factory, aiming to boost the US share in advanced chip production to 20% by 2030.
➃ Japan is offering up to 1.2 trillion yen in subsidies for TSMC's factories in Kumamoto, with the first factory expected to start production by the end of 2024.
➄ TSMC's Nanjing factory in China has been granted 'verified end-user' authorization by the US Commerce Department, allowing unrestricted supply of semiconductor equipment.
➅ The article discusses the strategic implications of these subsidies for the global semiconductor industry.
➀ Apple is reportedly developing M5 chips; ➁ The move is boosting orders for TSMC's advanced processes; ➂ The industry is focusing on the launch of Apple's new products featuring the self-developed M4 chip.
➀ Apple's next-gen M5 chip is expected to launch by the end of 2025; ➁ The new iPad Pro is expected to be released in late 2025 or early 2026; ➂ The M5 chip is designed for the new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro and M5 MacBook laptops.
➀ TSMC and SPIL are advancing their semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in Taiwan; ➁ The new 2nm fab in Kaohsiung will be a key facility for these efforts; ➂ The expansion focuses on advanced node and CoWoS packaging technologies.
➀ Huawei's proxy tactics for advanced chips come to light, revealing a new U.S. sanctions loophole; ➁ The issue involves Huawei's Ascend 910B chip, reportedly manufactured by TSMC; ➂ The controversy highlights the complexities of international trade and technology regulations.
➀ TSMC announced a special bonus of 20,000 New Taiwan Dollars for each of its grassroots employees, totaling about 1.2 billion New Taiwan Dollars for approximately 60,000 employees;
➁ Chairman and CEO of TSMC, Wei Zhejia, shared the news during the company's sports meeting, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and the spirit of perseverance;
➂ TSMC has achieved several milestones this year, including the progress of the 2-nanometer process and the launch of the A16 process, and continues to expand its technical leadership position globally;
➃ TSMC has also been expanding its talent acquisition efforts and has recently increased its workforce to about 67,000 employees in Taiwan, with an average bonus of 1.4952 million New Taiwan Dollars per employee;
➄ The TSMC board approved the issuance of restricted stock units for key talent to attract and retain high-level management and critical talent.
➀ TSMC has reportedly stopped shipments to Sophgo; ➁ A chip manufactured by TSMC was found in a Huawei AI processor; ➂ The halt in shipments is likely due to the chip's presence in the Huawei processor
➀ TSMC has halted shipments of the Ascend 910B to Sophgo, a Chinese firm suspected of acting as a Huawei proxy. ➁ Despite Sophgo's denial of any Huawei links, TSMC's action is a result of discovering Sophgo's chip orders closely resembled the Ascend 910B. ➂ Huawei's strategy to use Western-designed technologies continues to be scrutinized as it attempts to circumvent sanctions.
➀ The yield of TSMC's 4nm process at its first Phoenix, Arizona fab is 4% higher than that of its Taiwan fabs. ➁ Volume production in Arizona is expected to start early next year. ➂ TSMC plans to invest $65 billion in the Arizona site, with a second fab running a 2nm process and a third fab by 2030.