TSMC Set to Produce 3NM N3E for Unknown Client
Several companies that shall remain nameless have expressed interest in the technology that will cause TSMC to switch its focus from N3 to N3E chips. Companies specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) are alleged to have placed orders with the factory, which also supplies wafers for “smartphone-related applications.” Unfortunately, The latest report concealed those customers’ identities, albeit we probably know who they are.
It makes perfect sense for businesses like Qualcomm and MediaTek to forego ordering N3 and instead place orders for N3E wafers, as Apple is said to have purchased 90% of TSMC’s N3 shipments (the initial iteration of the company’s 3nm technology). Chipset makers would like not to hear that N3 is difficult to mass produce and that TSMC is having yield problems if they want to have a reliable supply of shipments ready for their smartphone vendors by late 2024.
According to a prior report, TSMC’s A17 Bionic and M3 yields were at 55%; however, this number could increase over the next few months, and the company’s wafer output might reach up to 100,000 units by the end of 2023. One rumor, however, stated that switching to the N3E process would result in a performance loss without providing any evidence to support the assertion. Apple is rumored to convert to the N3E process in 2024 as the production cost falls and yields improve.
Chips to Release Next Year
Economic Daily News reports that N3E wafer mass manufacturing will begin in the second half of 2023 but does not specify who will get the initial shipment. If Qualcomm and MediaTek do indeed release new chipsets in the fourth quarter of the new year, it is possible that Apple will receive the first shipments.
It is possible that the successor to the M2 is mass built using this N3E technology, as the California-based firm is expected to announce the M3 for various Macs later this year. Naturally, nothing is fixed in stone at the moment, so take this information with a grain of salt and check back for updates.
Source: Economic Daily News
