https://www.anandtech.com/show/18970/tsmc-3nm-chips-for-smartphones-and-hpcs-coming-this-year [p] [logo2] [ ] [search] Welcome Log out Login Register [icon-twitt] [icon-faceb] [icon-rss] * ABOUT * BENCH * FORUMS * PODCAST [logo_resp] [ ] [search] ABOUT BENCH FORUMS PODCAST LOGIN REGISTER PC ComponentsV * CPUs * GPUs * Motherboards * SSDs * Cases/Cooling/PSUs * Memory * NAS * Storage Smartphones & tabletsV * Smartphones * Tablets * Huawei * HTC * Samsung * Google/Android * Microsoft * Apple * SoCs SystemsV * Notebook Reviews * Desktop Reviews * Mac Reviews * Ultrabooks ENTERPRISE & IT GUIDESV * Best CPUs * Best SSDs * Best Laptops * Best Android Phones * Best Video Cards * Best PSUs * Best Motherboards * Best Gaming Laptops * Best Mechanical Keyboards * Best Consumer HDDs DEALS * Home> Semiconductors [ ] Menu * PC ComponentsV + CPUs + GPUs + Motherboards + SSDs + Cases/Cooling/PSUs + Memory + NAS + Storage * Smartphones & tabletsV + Smartphones + Tablets + Huawei + HTC + Samsung + Google/Android + Microsoft + Apple + SoCs * SystemsV + Notebook Reviews + Desktop Reviews + Mac Reviews + Ultrabooks * Enterprise & IT * GuidesV + Best CPUs + Best SSDs + Best Laptops + Best Android Phones + Best Video Cards + Best PSUs + Best Motherboards + Best Gaming Laptops + Best Mechanical Keyboards + Best Consumer HDDs * Deals * TRENDING TOPICS * Intel * AMD * CPUs * GPUs * Storage * SSDs * Motherboards * Mobile * Smartphones * Home> * Semiconductors TSMC: 3nm Chips for Smartphones and HPCs Coming This Year by Anton Shilov on July 21, 2023 4:30 PM EST * Posted in * Semiconductors * TSMC * 3nm * N3 * N3E 13 Comments | Add A Comment 13 Comments + Add A Comment [tsmc_wafer] While TSMC formally started mass production of chips on its N3 ( 3nm-class) process technology late last year, the company is set to finally ship the first revenue wafers in the current quarter. During the most recent earnings call with analysts and investors, the company said that demand for 3 nm products was steady, and that numerous designs for smartphones and high-performance applications are incoming later this year. Furthermore, N3E manufacturing node is on track for high-volume manufacturing later this year. "We are seeing robust demand for N3 and we expect a strong ramp of N3 in the second half of this year, supported by both HPC and smartphone applications," said C.C. Wei, chief executive officer of TSMC, during the company's earnings. Call with financial analysts and investors. Previously the company never commented on applications that use its initial N3 fabrication process, but for now it actually disclosed that devices that are in mass production are designed for smartphones as well as HPC applications, which is a vague term which TSMC uses to describe everything from handheld game consoles all the way to heavy-duty smartphone SoCs. For customer privacy reasons, TSMC does not disclose which customers are using N3. Though historically, Apple has been TSMC's alpha client for its leading-edge process technologies, so they're the most likely candidate to be the biggest consumer of TSMC's N3 output. TSMC's baseline N3 node (aka N3B) is an expensive technology to use. It features up to 25 EUV layers (according to China Renaissance and SemiAnalysis) with TSMC using EUV double-patterning on some of them to make for higher logic and SRAM transistor density than N5. EUV steps are expensive in general, and EUV double patterning drives those costs up further, which is why this fabrication process is only expected to be used by a handful of customers who are not as concerned about the high expenditure required. For those who are more cost sensitive, there is N3E, which can 'only' use up to 19 EUV layers and does not use EUV double patterning. Good news is that TSMC expects to commence mass production on this node to Q4 2023. N3E has passed qualification and achieved performance and yield target and will start volume production in the fourth quarter of this year," said Wei. Source: TSMC PRINT THIS ARTICLE * Post Your Comment [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Please log in or sign up to comment. [ ] [Submit Comment] [ajax-loade] POST A COMMENT 13 Comments View All Comments * NextGen_Gamer - Friday, July 21, 2023 - link Going to be an exciting Apple event later in September with the 3-nm A17 Bionic SoC :) Reply * Dante Verizon - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link I can't even imagine why anyone cares. 20% gain on synthetic benches, useless AI and such... Yeah, Huge Win Reply * Zoolook - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link While the SoCs undoubtedly will be high performers, the most interesting thing nowadays with moving to a new node isn't about absolute performance but increased efficiency, you can do more with the same energy. Reply * brucethemoose - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link If they shipped with 32GB of RAM, I would. That is enough for Llama 70B. Reply * tipoo - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link Weelll, I sorta do for a different reason than peak performance, iPhones may have a screen boost mode in the sun now, but they still quickly dim the screen and then start throttling the SoC in the sun, I hope 3nm and the new shrunk display driver help with both things. Also - the rarer RAM jumps from Apple phones are a bigger deal in my experience than the year to year chip upgrades, 8GB should be a nice upgrade. Reply * GC2:CS - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link A17 should rather be great if Apple wants to compete with what intel and AMD is cooking at 3nm Reply * tipoo - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link The lead of the last decade since A7 seems to be the smallest it's ever been, with SD8 gen 2 being pretty close on CPU and actually leading on GPU (plus having hw rt on it, its use in phones being questionable but should be good for M3) compared to A16, so I do wonder if having the lions run on N3 will let Apple leap out ahead again with a significant increase in per core performance. I wonder if they'll also ever move past 2+4 on phones. Excited to see M3 though, that's probably the MBA I'll get. Reply * Dante Verizon - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link And ? I think we already have plenty of performance in smartphones, there's no real use for it, not for the vast majority. Web pages and apps already open in one second, as any mid-end device has 8GB of ram and fast storage. The only moderately exciting smartphone-related thing I've heard about is Samsung using some new technology taken from EVs to increase the battery density of the Galaxy S24. Everything is so Meh these days. Reply * name99 - Sunday, July 23, 2023 - link The reason Android will always lag Apple is that Android is always about price optimizing what mattered five years ago, not investigating what will matter soon. We all (including Apple) know that phones are now fast enough for "normal" compute, and the Apple phones are even fast enough for current gen computational photography and image extraction. So what's next? Well... Look at: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20220156045A1 https://patents.google.com/patent/US20220101914A1 https://patents.google.com/patent/US11694733B2 Apple seem to be seriously all-in on AI, including language AI. But in the usual Apple way, rather than hype and promises, they're saying nothing before a product is ready, but are quietly designing the hardware necessary to up-end what's possible in this space on even a phone... The first of those patents is 2020; so maybe that's enough lead time from the idea to see something in the A17/M3 this year? Or maybe still another year or two required to move through design, optimization, manufacturing, them writing and optimizing SW? Reply * PeachNCream - Saturday, July 22, 2023 - link Is this actually 3nm or are we talking more like wrapped in air quotes with a little star next to it that points to a disclaimer about how its not really a 3nm process? Reply * 1 * 2 * > PIPELINE STORIES + Submit News TSMC: 3nm Chips for Smartphones and HPCs Coming This Year [dell_revea] Ultra Ethernet Consortium Formed, Plans to Adapt Ethernet for AI and HPC Needs Cerebras to Enable 'Condor Galaxy' Network of AI Supercomputers: 36 ExaFLOPS for AI * Solidigm Announces D5-P5336: 64 TB-Class Data Center SSD Sets NVMe Capacity Records * TSMC Delays Arizona Fab Deployment to 2025, Citing Shortage of Skilled Workers * ASUS Signs Agreement to Continue Development and Support of Intel's NUC Business * Samsung Completes Initial GDDR7 Development: First Parts to Reach Up to 32Gbps/pin * Logitech Acquires Loupedeck to Enhance Its Software Roadmap * Samsung Shipping First GAAFET Silicon; 3nm and 4nm Yields Are Improving - Report * Lenovo Develops Mini-ITX Form-Factor GeForce RTX 4060 * Corsair to Enter Personalized Peripherals Market with Drop Acquisition * Intel Foundry Services Readies Intel 16 Process: Low Power FinFET For Everyday Chips LINKS * Home * About * Forums * RSS * Pipeline News * Bench * Terms of Use * Contact Us * * TOPICS * CPUs * Motherboards * SSD/HDD * GPUs * Mobile * Enterprise & IT * Smartphones * Memory * Cases/Cooling/PSU(s) * Displays * Mac * Systems * Cloud * Trade Shows * Guides FOLLOW * [icon-faceb]Facebook * [icon-twitt]Twitter * [icon-rss2]RSS The Most Trusted in Tech Since 1997 * About * Advertising * Privacy Policy purch Copyright (c) 2023. 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