In the second half of 2019, the 7nm manufacturing capacity utilization rate will increase significantly due to seasonal growth in smartphone demand, as well as demand for high-performance computing chips, IoT and automobiles, according to TSMC CEO CC Wei. Already this year, 7nm norms will account for 25% of all company revenues.
Also at the investor meeting on April 18, the executive announced that TSMC had begun mass production in compliance with the N7+ (7nm process with partial EUV lithography). that the enterprise plans to start risky chip manufacturing using 6nm norms in the first quarter of 2020. The N6 provides 18% higher logic-on-chip density than the N7, but the entire design technology is compatible with the N7.
As for TSMC's 5nm process technology, its development, according to the head, is in full swing - this quarter the company will already begin accepting the first orders from customers. The manufacturer plans to bring the process technology to mass production in the first half of 2020. TSMC considers 5 nm to be an important and long-term process technology.
However, according to Mr. Wei, TSMC intends to scale up 5nm production more cautiously. Initial rollout may be slower than the N7, but the company still believes it will be able to ramp up production of the N5 quickly.
According to Mr. Wei, the HPC sector will be a key growth driver for the company over the next five years. We are talking about processors, AI accelerators and network devices. In the long term, HPC revenue will grow double-digit annually. The executive reiterated his previous statement that TSMC's revenues will grow only modestly in 2019.
The company is targeting $10-11 billion in capex this year. According to TSMC CFO Lora Ho, about 80% of the capex will be directed towards adopting advanced manufacturing standards, 10% will be directed towards improving advanced chip packaging and fabrication techniques. stencils and 10% for specialized technologies.
Source: 3dnews.ru