TSMC wants to start chip production on the 2nm process in 2025

TSMC plans to start manufacturing 2nm chips in 2025. The N2 node will then use nanosheet transistors. According to the Taiwanese manufacturer, chips made with N2 can run up to 15 percent faster than N3 chips.

In 2025, the first 2nm chips at TSMC roll out of the chip machines and the new node marks the move from finfet-based chips to those on nanosheets. These are gate-all-around field-effect transistors that are built up from the nanolayers. With gaa-fets, the channel of transistors is completely enclosed by the gate for faster switching and lower leakage currents. With finfets, the gate is over the channel, with the shape of a fin.

According to TSMC, N2 enables speed improvements of 10 to 15 percent versus N3E, or a 25 to 30 percent reduction in consumption, or a combination of the two. The node will have a high performance variant and a basic version for mobile chips. In addition, TSMC points to opportunities for chiplet integration. N3E is TSMC’s second generation 3nm process, with production due to start in mid-2023.

In terms of chip density, roughly the increase in the number of transistors per area, the comparison between N2 and N3E shows an improvement of 10 percent. In addition, it must be taken into account that the stretch in sram and the analog circuits is largely gone and the scalability must therefore come from the processor parts, which TSMC includes for 50 percent in terms of density. Sign anyway both AnandTech if Tom’s Hardware indicates that an improvement of 1.1x is on the low side and that further increases in density are expected to occur in such small increments in the future.