35%
Questionable
At an estimated $30,000 per wafer that is made on TSMC’s 2nm process, it was always going to be a pricey affair for several customers who intend to adopt this next-generation technology in 2026. Fortunately, a rumor claims that these figures are being blown out of proportion. In reality, the Taiwanese semiconductor giant’s 2nm N2 node will have limited power, performance, and area (PPA) improvements, but as long as there will be a distinction between the upcoming manufacturing process and the 3nm ‘N3P’ one, that’s all that matters.
In light of recent events concerning memory price increases, Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and others that will leverage TSMC’s 2nm wafers, can gain some financial respite
On Weibo, ‘Smart Chip Insider’ states that several 2nm chipsets are progressing ‘smoothly’ for a launch slated to happen in 2026. While the individual has not explicitly mentioned any names or companies that will adopt TSMC’s 2nm N2 process, he mentions the limited PPA improvements. Unfortunately, there’s no data provided on this front either, but the tipster mentions that 2nm wafers will not be outrageously priced.
This should be welcome news for the likes of Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, who not only have to deal with paying TSMC a hefty sum for utilizing its 2nm technology but also fork over a premium on increased memory prices. So far, we know that Apple’s A20 and A20 Pro will be the industry’s first chipsets to be fabricated on the newer lithography, followed by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite 6 Pro, with the Dimensity 9600 joining the bandwagon.
Qualcomm and MediaTek were earlier mentioned by tipster Digital Chat Station to launch the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro and Dimensity 9600 exclusively with LPDDR6 RAM support due to an increase in memory costs. However, instead of placing orders for TSMC’s 2nm N2 process, both companies are reported to switch to the more advanced 2nm ‘N2P’ node, which offers a measly 5 percent performance uplift over 2nm N2.
Speaking of 2nm N2, the latter only offers a 15 percent performance improvement over 3nm ‘N3E,’ with up to a 30 percent power reduction. Looking at these differences, there would be fewer advantages when moving from 3nm ‘N3P’ to 2nm N2, pretty much confirming the tipster’s claims over the lack of significant power, performance, and area improvements. Of course, even these small gains will be beneficial for TSMC’s customers, but let us keep our fingers crossed that future 2nm chipsets are not absurdly expensive.
News Source: Smart Chip Insider
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