Amid the soaring demand for generative AI computing capabilities, TSMC, the world's foremost semiconductor foundry, is ramping up its deployment of cutting-edge process technologies. Its 2-nanometer process is poised to commence mass production in the fourth quarter of 2025, leveraging the first-generation GAA (Gate-All-Around) nanosheet transistor technology. This leap forward delivers a 10%-15% performance boost at identical power consumption levels, a 25%-30% reduction in power usage at the same performance, and a 15%-20% surge in transistor density. Presently, TSMC has embarked on planning for the 1-nanometer process and is concurrently building 12 new wafer fabs. These fabs will act as production hubs for multiple generations of processes spanning from 2-nanometer to 1.4-nanometer, with commercial mass production of the 1-nanometer process anticipated by 2030-2031. In contrast, although Samsung intends to introduce its 1-nanometer process in 2029, it trails TSMC in the high-end foundry market, hindered by yield problems and internal management hurdles. Through the continuous refinement of Gate-All-Around technology and a strategy of expanding multiple fabs, TSMC is steadily solidifying its technological edge in the realm of advanced processes.
