Recently, many ** have reported the news that the three major wafer factories of TSMC, Samsung and Intel will compete in the 2nm process as soon as 2025, which makes many netizens feel a little distance, thinking that we cannot participate in the battlefield of the 2nm chip process. However, this is not the case, in fact, the gap between our chip manufacturing technology and the top level is not far away, only 2 generations apart, that is, only 5 years behind. At present, how many nanometers is the most advanced chip manufacturing process in the world?In fact, there is only 3nm, and there are only two manufacturers that have mastered this technology, namely TSMC and Samsung. These two manufacturers began mass production of 3nm chips last year, but the actual products launched did not come out until this year, among which Apple's A17Pro mobile phone chip is the first chip manufactured using the 3nm process. And in comparison, what is the level of manufacturing that we have reached?As we all know, Huawei recently launched a flagship mobile phone, equipped with a Kirin 9000s chip, although Huawei did not officially announce its nanometer value, but the electron microscope scanning analysis of the science and technology agency shows that the transistor density of the chip has reached the N7 process level of TSMC, and the performance is comparable to the 5nm Snapdragon 888 chip. So it may be an exaggeration to say that it is 5nm, but to call it 7nm, there should be no problem. As for 7nm chips, TSMC first mass-produced in 2018, when Apple's A12 chip became the industry's first chip to use the 7nm process, and in the same year, Huawei launched the Kirin 980 chip based on TSMC's 7nm process. From 2018 to 2023, only a short period of 5 years has passed, and from the 7nm process to the current 3nm process, there is only a 5nm generation in between, so the technology gap is only about 2 generations. So strictly speaking, the gap between us and the world's top chip manufacturing process is not far away, only the difference of these 2 generations, and it is only 5 years.
In addition, we need to know that although the gap between 2 generations and 5 years seems obvious, it is not as important as it seems, because the 7nm process has been able to meet more than 95% of the world's chip manufacturing needs. At present, only a few types of flagship chips in the world, such as mobile phone chips and artificial intelligence chips, have only begun to use 5nm and 3nm processes, and these chips account for less than 5% of the total chip demand. The other 95% of the chips have been able to be fully satisfied under the 7nm process. Therefore, our chip manufacturing process has once again caught up with the world's most advanced level, and we don't need to be too pessimistic. We can't always think that we have completely fallen behind when we mention domestic chips, in fact, the gap is not big, and everyone should be more confident.
The development of the chip manufacturing process is a technological process for the manufacture of small objects. Since the 50s of the last century, the chip manufacturing process has been constantly improving. Of course, this is just a minimalist version of chip process development. Now let's take a look at the six stages of development of the chip manufacturing process.
(1) The era of 12-inch wafer technology
In the era of 12-inch wafer technology, IBM looked for a new way of wafer manufacturing in 2002, that is, to manufacture with large pieces of silicon, so that the wafer produced is larger, the utilization rate is higher, and the cost is lower.
(2) The era of 65nm technology
The 65nm process era is a technological revolution and an important breakthrough. This means using a size of 65 nanometers, laid out in such a way that the transistors are tightly arranged on the wafer. Many of the world's leading manufacturers have been engaged in the manufacture of processors with 60nm processes since this period.
(3) The era of 28nm technology
The 28nm process era is also an important breakthrough. The 28nm process refers to the use of a 28nm size to manufacture the processor, which has a higher level of integration and better performance than the 65nm process. At the same time, due to the reduction of process size, the power consumption and heating are greatly improved.
(4) The era of 14nm technology
In the era of 14nm processes, manufacturers are looking for smaller sizes to integrate more functionality on wafers of the same size. The 14nm process is a technology that uses a 14nm size to manufacture processors, which is more energy-efficient and advanced than the 28nm process.
(5) The era of 7nm technology
The 7nm process era represents the highest level of semiconductor technology and is also the current global benchmark for fabs, using the 7nm size to manufacture processors with higher computing speed and lower energy consumption.
(6) The era of 3-nanometer technology
In the era of 3nm process, chip manufacturing technology will reach a new height, and the process size will be further reduced to 3nm, which will make chips smaller, lower power consumption, and more powerful performance. It is expected that in the next few years, there will be major breakthroughs and applications in the 3nm process.
From 12-inch wafers to 3nm processes, advances in chip manufacturing processes have had a profound impact on the entire economy. First of all, the improvement of the chip manufacturing process means that the chip is smaller in size, consumes less power, and has more powerful performance. As a result, the performance of mobile devices and smart terminals continues to improve, providing users with a better user experience. Secondly, the improvement of the chip manufacturing process has effectively controlled the production cost and promoted the rapid development of industries such as communications, computers, and the Internet of Things. More importantly, the improvement of the chip manufacturing process has also further promoted the process of R&D and innovation, providing a strong impetus for scientific and technological progress and social development.
With the continuous development of technology, people's expectations for chip manufacturing processes are also increasing. In the future, the chip manufacturing process will continue to develop in the direction of smaller, faster and more energy-efficient. It is expected that in the near future, the chip manufacturing process will be further reduced to less than 1nm, enabling higher integration and more computing power. At the same time, new materials and process technologies will continue to emerge to support further breakthroughs in the chip manufacturing process. This will enable the application of chips in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and new energy to be more extensive and in-depth development.
Through the understanding of the development of the chip manufacturing process, it is not difficult to find that although we are temporarily unable to participate in the field of 2nm chip manufacturing process, the gap between the chip manufacturing technology and the world's top level is not far away. Our current chip manufacturing technology has caught up and is up to the task of meeting the vast majority of chip needs. With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the chip manufacturing process will continue to develop, bringing more opportunities and challenges to all walks of life. As creators, we should maintain an optimistic attitude, believe in our own abilities, and work hard for the further improvement of domestic chip manufacturing technology. Most importantly, we will continue to strengthen innovation and R&D to contribute more to the future development of the chip manufacturing process. Only by constantly pursuing progress and breakthroughs can we achieve independent innovation in the field of chips and bring greater contributions to the country's economic and scientific and technological progress.