source: TSMC
HSINCHU, Taiwan, R.O.C. – TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) held a 3 nanometer (3nm) volume production and capacity expansion ceremony on December 29 at its Fab 18 construction site in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP), bringing together suppliers, construction partners, central and local government, the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association, and member of academia to witness an important milestone in the company’s advanced manufacturing.
TSMC said that 3nm technology has successfully entered volume production with good yields, and held a topping ceremony for its Fab 18 Phase 8 facility. TSMC estimates that 3nm technology will create end products with a market value of US$1.5 trillion within five years of volume production.
TSMC said its 3nm process is the most advanced semiconductor technology in power, performance and area (PPA) and in transistor technology, and a full-node advance from the 5nm generation. Compared with the 5nm (N5) process, TSMC’s 3nm process offers up to 1.6X logic density gain and 30-35 percent power reduction at the same speed, and supports the innovative TSMC FINFLEX architecture.
Phases 1 through 8 of TSMC Fab 18 each have cleanroom area of 58,000 square meters, approximately double the size of a standard logic fab, according to the company. TSMC’s total investment in Fab 18 will exceed NT$1.86 trillion, creating more than 23,500 construction jobs and over 11,300 high-tech direct job opportunities. In addition to expanding 3nm capacity in Taiwan, TSMC is also building 3nm capacity at its Arizona site.
TSMC also announced that its global R&D center in the Hsinchu Science Park will open in the second quarter of 2023 and will be staffed by 8,000 personnel. TSMC is also making preparations for its 2nm fabs, which will be located in the Hsinchu and Central Taiwan Science Parks, with a total of six phases proceeding as planned.
TSMC Chairman Dr. Mark Liu presided over the 3nm ceremony. “TSMC is maintaining its technology leadership while investing significantly in Taiwan, continuing to invest and prosper with the environment. This … (ceremony) demonstrates that we are taking concrete action to develop advanced technology and expand capacity in Taiwan,” Liu said. “We aim to grow together with our upstream and downstream supply chain and develop future talent from design to manufacturing, packaging and testing, equipment, and materials to provide the most competitive advanced process technology and reliable capacity for the world and drive technology innovation in the future.”
TSMC said construction in the STSP follows Taiwan’s EEWH and the U.S. LEED green building certification standards. The facilities will also use water resources from the TSMC STSP Reclaimed Water Plant to gradually reach the company’s target of using 60 percent reclaimed water by 2023. Once volume production begins, Fab 18 will use 20 percent renewable energy to eventually reach the sustainability goal of 100 percent renewable energy and zero emissions by 2050.
