TSMC denies delay in production of 10nm chips

Chip manufacturer TSMC denies that the production of 10nm chips is delayed due to problems with disappointing yields. According to the company, the process is on track and the first sales of 10nm chips are expected in the first quarter of 2017.

Elizabeth Sun, communications director of TSMC, is responding to the messages published last week, according to EETimes. Digitimes sources stated that both TSMC and Samsung are experiencing disappointing revenues from the 10nm process and as a result new products could be delayed. While TSMC says everything is on track, the company also reports that revenue from the 10nm process in the first quarter of next year will be less than 1 percent of total revenue that quarter.

Samsung has not responded to the delay reports. According to the rumors, Qualcomm, among others, which has its chips produced at Samsung, must adjust its plans. Only the Snapdragon 835, the top model, would be made at 10nm because the yields in the process are disappointing. In October, Samsung started production of 10nm chips.

According to another rumor picked up by GizmoChina, Huawei will have its Kirin 970 soc made by TSMC on the 10nm process. The smartphone soc would be an octacore with four Cortex-A73 cores and four A53 cores. The maximum clock speed would be 2.8 to 3GHz. Huawei would like to use the chip in a new top model, which will be on the market in the second half of next year. It may be the Mate 10. The introduction of the soc would take place in the first quarter of next year.