A heavyweight foreign media reported that industry chain sources revealed that TSMC's 3nm process technology has entered the experimental production stage at TSMC Wafer Factory 18, and is expected to undergo large-scale mass production in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Subsequently, TSMC CEO Zhe Xuejia revealed in an interview: "The 3nm process technology will undergo risk trial production this year and achieve large-scale mass production in the second half of next year. Compared with 5nm process chips, the theoretical density of 3nm process transistors will be 70% higher." The operating speed will be increased by 15% and the energy efficiency will be increased by 30%."
This two pieces of evidence, one overt and one dark, greatly enhance the authenticity of the news.
Some media even reported that "TSMC has taken a key step in the 3nm foundry process, Korean stars are falling behind again, and Xiaxin Technology will have to struggle for another two years to catch up." 》The headline reported this matter.
In the current bipolar friction, the semiconductor chip manufacturing process has always been the focus of everyone's attention.
In terms of hard standards, 3nm is the next process node after 5nm. Even if Korean stars have reached the 5nm process by "self-naming", Qualcomm said on Korean stars' cars that this 5nm is really not as good as TSMC.
Korean stars even shouted the slogan, "To surpass TSMC in 2030."
The result is obvious. When everyone broke the news and made hot topics, TSMC stabbed the Korean star in the back.
Li Zairong's response was also very quick. He immediately arranged for senior executives to come forward and pretended to accidentally reveal that Hanxing's 3nm process would achieve mass production in 2022.
However, this interview seemed very weak in the subsequent operations.
Pingguo and Intel both stated that they will become the first customers of TSMC's 3nm process.
Cook also said: "Pingguo is TSMC's current largest customer and its main source of revenue. The A15 bionic chip equipped on Pingguo 13 is the top of the industry. I believe that Pingguo will achieve greater success after using the 3nm process in the future." breakthrough."
Although Intel's current CEO has been complaining about TSMC before, this time he is uncharacteristically following up on TSMC's 3nm process.
From a global perspective, the old capital led by Qualcomm has formed a blood transfusion to Korean Star, and the emerging capital represented by Pingguo and Intel has transfused blood to TSMC, in order to improve the research and development progress of the two processes and suppress them. Live the development of Xia Xin.
Although Moore's Law is no longer a golden rule in cutting-edge manufacturing processes, it still has traces to follow.
As strong as TSMC, if it wants to achieve mass production of the 3nm process, it also needs to overcome some difficulties, such as complex chip design, soaring wafer foundry costs, and increased procurement costs for EUV lithography machines.
Although Xia Xin has been secretly upgrading, its executives want to wait until the 5nm process can be stabilized before announcing it. After all, its own 7nm process has certain advantages over other people's fake 5nm process, but which one? Thinking that TSMC and Korean Star are so powerful and are about to go to 3nm, the pressure of public opinion suddenly came to me.
Of course, there are also many sensible people who know that Xia Xin started late and has been catching up very quickly in terms of manufacturing processes, but it is impossible to become a big fat man in one bite, so it is not popular.
But is the current online public opinion environment rational?
"Is Xia Xin okay? Others are already moving to 3nm!" There are still some comments like this.
In response to this, Xia Xin's senior management also quickly organized a press conference to answer.
As the executive vice president and company secretary of Xia Xin Technology, Gao Shan spoke very well.
“We must accept criticism because it can help us get out of the illusion of narcissism and avoid being morally and intellectually self-absorbed for a long time and leading to destruction in narcissism.”
The first step is to make a sincere statement, and then to popularize science.
"In fact, there are differences in chip foundry processes between Xiaxin, TSMC, Korean Star and other companies. This difference also means that the nm process does not represent the same level.
TSMC chose the traditional Fi transistor architecture. In order to surpass TSMC in the 3nm process, Samsung very radically chose GAA transistor technology.
As we all know, Xia Xin started from scratch in the field of high-end manufacturing, so we use the special process provided by Jiuzhou Technology.
This special process is currently confidential and cannot be announced.
But what I can guarantee is that in terms of technology, Kyushu Technology’s process is more advanced than that used by Korean Star and TSMC. In theory, chips produced using this process have stronger performance and lower power consumption.
Of course, I need to remind everyone that we and Han Xing are both using new architectures, so there are many technical difficulties that need to be overcome. The Fi transistor architecture used by TSMC is relatively more mature in technology and will be less difficult to develop.
But it is only a little lower. If we want to achieve mass production of the 3nm process, we need to overcome problems such as complex chip design, high foundry costs, and increased purchase costs of photolithography machines. "
At the end, he said with a smile: "Yes, after the entire Daxia Semiconductor industry chain is upgraded, Xia Xin Technology will achieve three major advancements: mass production of the 7nm process, limited production of the 5nm process, and risky trial production of the 3nm process. .”
Just a few hours after the press conference of Xiaxin Technology, Xiawei Yu Chengdong opened his mouth: "Xiawei Mate50 is coming back soon, and HiSilicon Kirin will also use Xiaxin 5nm process and 3nm process OEM in the future. chip."
Dong Qi from Suiren Company even said directly: "Jiuzhou Technology provides key technologies for industrial upgrading, including light sources, OEM equipment and even process design. Jiaolong mobile phones will still use Xiaxin OEM in the future. When the production capacity is increased, Stay tuned for more powerful and cheaper chips.”
This week, breaking news comes one after another, and the hot news topics change almost every few hours.
What Pingguo originally wanted to do was to make great efforts to increase the sales of Pingguo 13, but he never thought that due to the chain effect, Xiaxin Technology, Xiawei and Suiren Company would eventually become the peach pickers.
Later, these meat-smelling media swarmed to the Jiuzhou Technology Park in Chengdu. After the application was approved, they stayed in the towns around the park to guard the employees of Jiuzhou Technology and the executives who occasionally went out.
The Chengdu City Bureau is open to this. After all, these reporters usually take photos of the surrounding environment to show the outside world the new look of Chengdu.
But it is a pity that the ideas of these reporters are destined to come to nothing, because the Jiuzhou Technology executive team is almost a homebody now because Boss Gu and relevant departments often talk about safety issues. They have few vacations, and when they usually take vacations, they usually take their families with them. People go to large parks such as Titanium and Tantalum Stars to visit.
Correct
The current Titanium and Tantalum Park can almost be called a small park of nations.
