WorldTekhno.com – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) unveiled the launch of the first chipset based on 3-nanometer transistor fabrication. The 3-nm chip includes TSMC’s most recent roadmap for the next few years, which is also preparing a 2-nanometer chipset.
TSMC has now begun mass producing the first generation of 3nm chips, and Apple is already monitoring production results.
This first generation 3nm chip had a success rate of 80%, so for every 100 chips produced from a wafer there were 80 chips that passed the quality test. This success rate is very important for TSMC consumers, because the price of a 3nm wafer is very expensive, reaching USD 20.000. Meanwhile, for a 5nm wafer chip it is only USD 16.000.
It is possible that the chip will be used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra. After the N3, TSMC will produce the N3E, which will start in the second half of 2023.
With such a high price tag, for the first generation of 3nm chips, one could say that only Apple could afford it. The chip with the N3 process is, in fact, 100% production already locked in by Apple.
The N3E chip will be cheaper and easier to manufacture than the N3. That way, the N3E chip is expected to have a wider audience, such as Intel, AMD and Qualcomm. The reason is that they will sell the chips to other parties, i.e., they will profit from the chips. Then they have to reduce production costs as much as possible.
According to CEO C.C Wei, the chip with the N3 process is expected to generate $1.5 billion for TSMC in the next five years. They claim that the N3 chip has 15% higher performance and consumes 30% less power than the N5.
While Apple, on the other hand, is a consumer of these chips, because they use the A and M series chips for their own products. They benefit, one of them, from the finished product. For example iPhone and Mac.***
