Global market leader: TSMC's chip manufacturing plans through 2029
From 2028, TSMC is to manufacture chips with its second generation of nanosheet transistors. The version with a super power rail will be particularly exciting.
(Image: Macro photo/Shutterstock.com)
The world's largest chip contract manufacturer TSMC shares an updated technology roadmap that extends to 2029. New for the first time: key figures for the A14 manufacturing process, with which TSMC intends to mass-produce chips starting 2028. To classify A14, however, it is first necessary to take a look at the previous innovations.
TSMC's finest manufacturing processes are currently those of the N3 generation, which has been in mass production since the end of 2022. There are variants optimized for different areas of application, such as N3P and N3E. Apple, for example, currently has the A18 and A18 Pro for the 16-series iPhones produced using N3E technology.
Production of the 2-nanometer class will start in the second half of 2025 – Apple is considered the first major customer, followed by AMD and Intel. With N2, TSMC is replacing the obsolete fin-shaped field-effect transistors (FinFETs) with a gate-all-around structure (GAAFETs). TSMC calls this nanosheets.
Compared to the 3 nm process N3E, N2 is said to increase performance by 10 to 15 percent at the same electrical power consumption. Alternatively, the power consumption is reduced by 15 to 30 percent at the same performance. The transistor density increases by around 15 percent.
As is now customary, improved variants of the basic technology will be available, i.e. N2P and N2X in the 2 nm generation. N2P is expected to increase performance and efficiency by a few more percentage points. Series production is set to start in the second half of 2026. N2X is scheduled for 2027 and is explicitly designed for high clock frequencies – the peak values should increase by ten percent.
(Image:Â Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)
| Process node | N2 vs. N3E | N2P vs. N3E | A16 vs. N2P | A14 vs. N2 |
| Performance | +10-15% | +18% | +8-10% | +10-15% |
| Power | -25-30% | -36% | -15-20% | -25-30% |
| Area | 1,15x | >= 1,15x | 1,07-1,1x | ~1,2x |
A16 introduces rear-side power supply
After the N2 generation, TSMC will switch to the Angstrom naming scheme, like Intel Foundry. A16 would previously have simply been called 1.6 nm – as the names no longer have anything to do with the real structure widths anyway, the change is welcome.
A16 is not a new process in the classical sense. The transistor structure remains largely the same as the N2 generation. However, TSMC is introducing the so-called Super Power Rail (SPR), analogous to Intel's Power Vias. This technology is also known as backside power delivery. The metal layers for supplying power to the transistors move from the top to the bottom. This untangles the data paths on the top side and, according to TSMC, significantly improves the electrical characteristics, close to the usual generation leap.
Compared to N2P, TSMC speaks of eight to ten percent higher performance. Alternatively, the electrical power consumption is reduced by 15 to 20 percent. Because the transistors can be packed more densely as a result of the slag removal, the packing density increases by seven to ten percent.
(Image:Â Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)
A14 with further developed nanosheets
With A14 for 2028, TSMC is further developing the transistor structure; the company therefore refers to it as the second nanosheet generation. However, the first A14 version comes without Super Power Rail. Without the improvements from SPR, the jump in performance is initially moderate. TSMC only compares with N2 (not N2P!): Up to 15 percent more performance or 30 percent less power consumption are possible.
(Image:Â Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)
If you compare the values, it becomes clear: The A14 basic version is hardly better than A16 in terms of performance characteristics, but should be easier to manufacture due to the more typical power supply. 2029 will be particularly exciting, as TSMC intends to start producing chips with A14 technology combined with Super Power Rail. The manufacturer has not yet provided any performance figures for this combination. However, the switch from N2 to A16 shows what is possible with SPR.
(mma)
