3nm Chip Archives - Gizmochina

Samsung Gears Up for High-Performance Galaxy S25 Series with First 3nm GAA Process

Anubhav — Tue, 07 May 2024 14:55:54 +0000

Samsung is on the cusp of a major mobile chip breakthrough. Their first high-performance chip built on a cutting-edge 3nm GAA (Gate-All-Around) process is nearing mass production within the next few months. This marks a significant leap for Samsung Foundry, paving the way for faster, more efficient processors in future Galaxy devices.

Estimates suggest that these new chips will have a 300MHz clock speed increase

This complex chip, designed for high-end phones, boasts a CPU, GPU, and various modules. Samsung collaborated with Synopsys, who provided AI-powered design tools (Synopsys.ai) to optimize the chip’s performance and yield. Early estimates suggest these tools led to a potential 300MHz clock speed increase and a 10% power reduction.

The new GAA design specifically tackles past issues of high power consumption experienced with previous Samsung chips. While details are scarce, speculation suggests the chip might utilize Samsung’s second-generation 3nm GAA process (SF3) for better handling of intricate smartphone chip requirements. This first 3nm Exynos chip is expected to power upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 or Galaxy S25 series phones, and its mass production will be a crucial test of the GAA design’s effectiveness in addressing past shortcomings.

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MediaTek announces its first Dimensity chipset using TSMC’s 3nm process

Soumyakanti — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 10:41:55 +0000

MediaTek, collaborating with TSMC, announces the successful tape-out of its first 3nm Dimensity chipset, developed using TSMC’s 3nm process. Mass production of the chip starts next year, with the launch scheduled for the second half of 2024.

Performance Breakthrough: The Power of the 3nm Process

TSMC’s 3nm process technology offers notable advantages compared to its 5nm predecessor. It delivers around a 60% increase in logic density and provides an 18% speed boost at constant power or a 32% reduction in power consumption with the same performance. This technology targets high-performance computing and mobile applications, aiming to enhance performance, power efficiency, and yield.

MediaTek plans to incorporate this chip into various devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart vehicles. This strategic move places MediaTek at the forefront of chip manufacturing, as the industry competition to adopt the 3nm process intensifies.

There are speculations suggesting that Apple might be an early adopter of TSMC’s 3nm production capacity, potentially using it for their upcoming A17 chip later this year. In contrast, accurate details about Qualcomm’s 3nm technology are limited as of now. When Qualcomm eventually launches its 3nm chip, it is expected to trigger a competitive rivalry with MediaTek.

Joe Chen, MediaTek’s President, praised the partnership with TSMC for its exceptional manufacturing capabilities. He expressed that this collaboration will enable MediaTek to demonstrate its advanced design in flagship chipsets, aiming to offer high-quality solutions to their global customers and enhance the user experience in the flagship market.

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The Most Advanced Chips in the World: Apple to Buy TSMC’s Entire Supply of 3nm Chips for 2023

Oğuz Çakır — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 15:29:22 +0000

Despite being one of the world’s largest technology companies, Apple is still dependent on outside production. Yes, the company has perhaps the best engineering team in the world and its R&D department is unrivaled, but these teams are more focused on the design of the product. Therefore, the American tech giant often collaborates with other manufacturers such as Foxconn, TSMC, Samsung, and BOE on various issues. Now, there is a rumor going around that Apple plans to purchase the entire supply of 3nm chips from TSMC. Here are the details…

TSMC’s 3nm Chips: The Most Advanced Chips in the World, and Apple Wants Them All

The collaboration between Apple and TSMC continues to grow stronger. According to recent reports, the two companies have signed a major agreement for 3nm chips that will be used in both the A17 Bionic, which will power the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models, and the M3 processors that will be the heart of the next generation of MacBooks. Apple has already purchased a large portion of the 3nm chips that will be produced in 2023. Some sources say this purchase was based on 90%. Now, this figure has reached 100%.

The rumor is based on a report from DigiTimes, which cited industry sources. The report said that Apple has already booked all of TSMC’s 3nm capacity for 2023. If the rumor is true, it would be a major coup for Apple. It would give the company a significant advantage over its rivals in the race to develop the most powerful and efficient chips. It would also allow Apple to maintain its leadership in the global smartphone market.

TSMC’s 3nm chips offer a number of advantages over its predecessors, including increased transistor density, reduced power consumption, improved performance, and support for new features. These advantages make 3nm chips a promising technology for a wide range of applications, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, servers, and even self-driving cars.

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Apple to Buyout most of TSMC’s 3nm process that reportedly has an 80% yield

Sean — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 13:09:48 +0000

We have already covered various reports that hint at the next gen Apple A17 Bionic being based on TSMC‘s cutting edge 3nm process node. But now, a new report has revealed that the company is looking to acquire most of the 3nm process of the world’s largest contract chipmaker.

For those unaware, the A17 Bionic is the next gen chipset that will power the iPhone 15 Pro models later this year. It will be based on the 3nm process from TSMC, which would make the iPhone the only smartphone to feature a 3nm based chip this year. TSMC will produce the chips with its advanced N3E process node in the second half of this year. The newer N3E process is cheaper than the previous N3 process, so it would lower the cost for its various clients.

In other words, brands like Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm would rush to put in their orders in the latest 3nm process node. However, it appears that the Cupertino based giant is looking to acquire most of the new 3nm process for its proprietary chips. The next gen chips based on the N3E will be more power efficient while offer faster clock speeds, with 15 percent better performance with 30 to 30 percent lowered power consumption.

As of right now, Apple is already the largest customer of TSMC, accounting for 25 percent of TSMC’s annual revenue. A new report from EDN Asia has revealed that the 3nm chip production has hit the 80 percent yield rate. High yields basically mean than more chips pass quality control and help the company save up on production cost.

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TSMC’s Largest Customer, Apple, Reduces Chip Orders Significantly

Oğuz Çakır — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 15:13:41 +0000

Recently, there have been reports that Apple has reduced its order size with TSMC. The company is the sole supplier of Apple chips, and the reduction in orders is a reflection of the overall weakness of the global economy. It is important to note that the canceled orders were for chips that would be made using TSMC’s N7, N5, N4, and even some N3 nodes. Here are the details…

Apple has sharply reduced the size of the order it has with TSMC

TSMC is the leading company in the chip-making industry and is currently the only company that is mass-producing chips using their respective 3nm process nodes. Samsung is the only other company currently producing 3nm chips but uses a different type of transistor. TSMC’s N3 (3nm) process node is expected to be used for the production of the A17 Bionic, which will be found in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra, as well as Apple’s M2 Ultra and M3 chips.

Despite TSMC’s continued use of FinFET transistors for its 3nm node, it has still been able to beat out Samsung Foundry when it comes to signing up customers, with big names like Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Nvidia reserving production capacity for 2023 and 2024. In order to give Apple most of the 3nm production capacity later this year, Intel agreed to change its roadmap and delay receipt of its 3nm orders. TSMC’s enhanced 3nm process node (N3E) could be launched this year even though there might not be a big rush for orders considering the cost. It is worth noting that wafer prices have risen sharply over the years. In 2004, 90nm wafers sold for about $2,000, while in 2016, 10nm wafers cost $6,000, and in 2020, the price hit $16,000 for 5nm wafers. Wafer prices for 3nm chips are currently priced in the $20,000 area.

Intel has also announced that it will take process leadership from TSMC and Samsung by 2025, thanks to two developments. It will use RibbonFET transistors, which is another term for the Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors already employed by Samsung, and it will use a feature known as PowerVia or backside power delivery. This will allow transistors to obtain power from one side of a chip while using the other side to connect to data communication links.

The reduction in orders from Apple with TSMC is a reflection of the overall weakness of the global economy and the hangover from last year’s chip shortage. Despite this, TSMC remains the leading company in the chip-making industry, and its enhanced 3nm process node (N3E) could be launched this year. Additionally, Intel is set to take process leadership from TSMC and Samsung by 2025, thanks to the use of RibbonFET transistors and the PowerVia feature. The chip-making industry is constantly evolving, and it will be interesting to see how these developments will affect the industry in the future.

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TSMC To Start Mass Production Of Next-Gen 3nm Chips This Week

Jeet — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 08:25:33 +0000

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, aka TSMC, which is the world’s largest foundry, is all set to start the mass production of its 3nm chips this week.

Apple, which is among the top customers for the Taiwan-based company, will be the primary customer for the chips manufactured using this new process and will be a part of the tech giant’s M2 lineup.

As per the report, TSMC will start mass production of 3nm chips on 29th December, Thursday, which is in line with the previous reports, which indicated that the company could start mass production of the 3nm node process by the end of the year.

It is said that TSMC will hold a ceremony at Fab 18 at the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) on December 29 to mark the start of commercial production of chips using 3nm process technology. It will also detail plans to expand 3nm chip production at the fab, according to sources at semiconductor equipment companies.

For Apple, before the A17 Bionic chip for the upcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Ultra models, the Cupertino-based company is expected to place orders for the 3nm M2 Pro chip, which will be powering the upcoming MacBook Pro and the Mini Mini. Both these chips, A17 Bionic and M2 Pro, are expected to ship later next year.

Samsung is also able to mass produce 3nm chips using Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors, allowing more precise control of current flow through each transistor and improved power efficiency. TSMC will be using FinFET transistors for the 3nm node but will adopt GAA transistors for the 2nm chips, which is likely to happen in 2025.