1. TSMC's 2nm technology: Gaafet transistor technology, N2 prototype process demonstration.
As the world's leading chip manufacturer, TSMC has been committed to promoting the development of chip processes. In terms of 2nm technology, TSMC plans to achieve mass production of the 2nm process in 2025, using Gaafet transistor technology. TSMC has recently demonstrated the N2 prototype process, which is also the first time TSMC has used Gaafet transistor technology, so the outside world has some reservations about the mass production progress in 2025.
Why might TSMC not go so well?Gaafet transistor technology is applied to the 2nm process to improve the power, performance, and density of chips, but it is still relatively new to the previous process. Therefore, TSMC may encounter some challenges in the development of the 2nm process, such as process stability, cost control, etc.
2. Samsung's 2nm technology: accumulated experience in the new 3nm Gaafet transistor architecture.
Samsung began mass production of chips on the 3nm process last year, which uses a new Gaafet (surround gate) transistor architecture. With this accumulated experience, Samsung is relatively more secure when switching from 3nm to 2nm process. Samsung is said to plan to mass-produce 2nm chips in 2025. Compared with TSMC, Samsung has already begun to apply Gaafet transistor technology at 3nm, and has accumulated more experience for the 2nm process.
As a world-renowned chip manufacturer, Intel has been committed to improving its chip technology level. In the past, Intel insisted on an independent process naming method, but with the intensification of international competition, the gap between it and TSMC and Samsung in technology is getting bigger and bigger, so it has to change the process naming method. At present, Intel has made progress on 2nm technology, saying that it will achieve 1. by the end of 2024The 8nm process, which is comparable to the 2nm process of TSMC and Samsung, also uses Gaafet transistor technology.
Huawei, as China's representative in the field of chips, has made great breakthroughs in the past few years. Huawei's Kirin 9000S chip proves that China already has 7nm process manufacturing capabilities. Such an achievement is a milestone in the development of China's chip manufacturing industry, providing a solid foundation for China to catch up with the 5nm process.
According to Lin Benjian, under the application of multiple technologies of immersion lithography machine, China has the foundation and ability to realize the 5nm process. Therefore, China is not far away in chip manufacturing, and the gap with the giants of 2nm is only 2 generations.
At present, more than 97% of chips have been manufactured using processes of 5nm and above. The progress made by China's chip manufacturing industry in catching up with the 5nm process has greatly changed the market pattern and also demonstrated China's strength in the chip field. This change is considered undesirable for the United States and long-awaited for China.
In the competition from 3nm to 2nm, the three giants of TSMC, Samsung, and Intel will compete fiercely. TSMC and Samsung have certain advantages in technology accumulation, but they face their own challenges, while Intel is more active in catching up. In China, although it is not qualified to participate in 2nm for the time being, it is encouraging to catch up and make progress in the 5nm process, and it already has the corresponding foundation and capabilities.
As an editor, I write this article with a deep sense of fierce competition in the field of chip manufacturing. Not only are giants such as TSMC, Samsung, and Intel competing on a global scale, but China's chip manufacturing industry is also gradually emerging. At the same time, China's progress in the 5nm process has also given people hope and confidence. In the face of technological competition and market changes, every step of progress is inseparable from rich experiments and continuous innovation. I firmly believe that in the cooperation and competition of the global chip industry, China's chip manufacturing industry will usher in a more brilliant future.