Today, the world's two largest fabs have made a breakthrough in the 3nm process. TSMC has successfully manufactured 3nm chips for Apple, including the A17Pro and M3 series. Although Samsung has not yet come out with a mobile phone chip based on the 3nm process, it has begun mass production last year and has been adopted by mining machine manufacturers. The next target is the 2nm process, at which time there will be three manufacturers competing, namely TSMC, Samsung and Intel. TSMC plans to achieve a 2nm process in 2025 with Gaafet transistor technology and has already demonstrated the N2 prototype process. However, there are concerns about TSMC's progress, as the N2 is TSMC's first adoption of Gaafet transistor technology, so it is uncertain whether mass production will be achieved in 2025. At the same time, Samsung also plans to mass-produce 2nm chips in 2025, and the company adopted Gaafet's new transistor architecture in the 3nm process last year, so it is more secure to enter the 2nm process empirically. Intel, on the other hand, decided to join the race, having previously named the chip process, but later realized that the gap with TSMC and Samsung was getting bigger and bigger, so it changed its strategy and directly caught up with the 2nm process, which is expected to achieve 18nm process and GAAFET transistor technology. Intel said it is expected to become the first manufacturer in the world to enter the 2nm process. However, TSMC announced that its own 3nm process is comparable to Intel's 18A in terms of power, performance, and density. Although 2nm is the new battlefield of the three giants, China is not qualified to participate for the time being, and can only wait and see. At the moment, we are still catching up with 5nm, and Huawei's Kirin 9000s proves that we already have the capability of 7nm, and the next goal is to achieve the 5nm process, which is not easy but not difficult to achieve. According to Lin Benjian, through the immersion lithography machine and the multi-** method, we have the ability to enter the 5nm process, and the gap with the 2nm process is not far away, only the gap of the 2nd generation. In addition, more than 97% of chips are now using 5nm and above processes, so the gap between us and the chip giants is narrowing, which is what the United States does not want to see, but it is also the result that we have been waiting for for a long time.
TSMC and Samsung, as the world's two largest wafer fabs, have successfully broken through the 3nm process. TSMC's breakthrough in the 3nm process has made it a partner for Apple, and it has manufactured A17Pro and M3 series chips for it. At the same time, although Samsung has not yet launched a mobile phone chip based on the 3nm process, it has started mass production of the process last year and has been adopted by mining machine manufacturers. The breakthrough of these two manufacturers has made the global pursuit of more advanced technology more intense.
TSMC's next target is the 2nm process, which is scheduled to reach mass production in 2025. The company will use GaAFET transistor technology and has already demonstrated the N2 prototype process. However, since the N2 is TSMC's first use of Gaafet transistor technology, there are concerns about its progress and doubts about whether mass production will be possible in 2025 as scheduled. In contrast, Samsung has already adopted Gaafet's new transistor architecture in the 3nm process, and has accumulated valuable experience, so it will be more secure to enter the 2nm process. Samsung also plans to mass-produce 2nm chips in 2025, which will further enhance its competitiveness in the chip field.
On the other hand, Intel has also decided to join the race on the 2nm process. Previously, Intel had been differentiating itself by naming its own chip process, but as the gap between it and TSMC and Samsung widened, Intel changed its strategy and directly caught up with the 2nm process. The company plans to achieve 1. by the end of 20248nm process, using the same Gaafet transistor technology. Intel is very aggressive in its goals, saying that it is expected to become the first manufacturer in the world to enter the 2nm process.
Although China is not currently eligible to participate in the 2nm process, we are moving towards the 5nm process. Huawei's Kirin 9000S chip proves that we already have 7nm capability, which means that we are not far from the realization of the 5nm process.
According to expert Lin Benjian, the immersion lithography machine and multi-** technology are the basis for us to achieve the 5nm process. The use of immersion lithography machines can improve the resolution of lithography technology, thereby speeding up the speed and precision of chip manufacturing. The multi-** technology can be performed multiple times at the same level, further improving the accuracy and performance of the chip. With these advanced processes and technologies, we are able to catch up with the 5nm process level.
It is worth noting that the gap between 5nm and 2nm is not far away, only the gap between 2 generations. At present, chips using 5nm and above processes have occupied more than 97% of the market share, which means that the gap with chip giants is narrowing. This is a huge opportunity for us, but it could be a huge threat for the United States. In the global competition in science and technology, we are gradually catching up and gaining a greater right to speak.
The progress of chip technology is crucial to a country's scientific and technological strength. In the past few years, TSMC and Samsung have led the world with their technological prowess and massive orders, but China is steadily catching up. We already have 7nm process capabilities, and Huawei's Kirin 9000S chip is a successful example. Now, we are aiming for the 5nm process, and with the help of immersion lithography and multi-** technology, we expect to achieve this in the near future.
At the same time, the world is still competing around the 2nm process, and many manufacturers have invested a lot of resources and energy. TSMC, Samsung, and Intel are all expected to be the first manufacturers in the world to implement the 2nm process. Although China has not yet entered this race, this does not affect our development. We are gradually moving towards becoming a chip power at our own pace.
Looking back on the past, Chinese technology has grown from scratch, from followers to catch-ups, and then to today's innovators. We have stood at the forefront of the world's science and technology, with independent research and development capabilities and world-class scientists. Although the road is still full of challenges, we believe that through continuous efforts and innovation, China will become a leading country in the field of chips and make greater contributions to the world's scientific and technological development.