TSMC Details 1.4nm (A14) Production Plan for 2028
The TSMC unveiled the 1.4nm (A14) production plan of the year 2028. TSMC plans to start production of the 2nm wafer by the end of 2025, and the next generation, which is the 1.4nm process, also called A14, is being setup. It has been stated that the target will be achieved without using the latest High-NA EUV machines from ASML.
Manufacturing Strategy Multi-Patterning Over High-NA EUV
A key part of TSMC's strategy involves forgoing ASML's newest and most expensive high-NA EUV equipment. Priced at around $400 million per machine, the company states that its existing hardware can produce 1.4nm wafers.
Instead, TSMC will use its current EUV equipment combined with very complex multi-patterning techniques. This is the same approach SMIC uses for its 5nm process. While this route may be more time-consuming and perhaps more costly with lower yield initially, TSMC is a very lucky company because it has EUV machines already in place and has several years before 2028 to develop and prove out the process.
Timeline, Investment, and Expected Benefits
The mass production of the 1.4nm process is expected only in the second half of 2028. However, TSMC is reportedly about to break ground on its new 1.4nm fab in Taichung by the end of this year, while R&D will be carried out at its Hsinchu site.
Aiming for that, TSMC is planning an initial investment to the tune of approximately $49 billion (NT$1.5 trillion). The A14 process is expected to offer a lot of efficiency benefits, from a 30 percent decrease in power consumption compared to previous nodes.
