TSMC has secured a massive block of orders for its 3nm process extending to 2027. The semiconductor giant is benefiting from dual demand engines as AI expands from cloud servers into Samsung folding phones and Tesla humanoid robots. This hardware wave guarantees that factories will operate at maximum capacity.
Samsung chose the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy to run its upcoming folding smartphones. Built on the TSMC N3P node, this premium chip integrates custom Oryon CPU cores with next generation graphics and AI hardware. According to supply chain details revealed at the Galaxy Unpacked event, selecting TSMC for these flagship phones confirms the Taiwanese chipmaker holds a clear edge in manufacturing yield and power efficiency, even though Samsung operates its own advanced silicon factories. Qualcomm is also putting its silicon into Samsung smartwatches and Google partner smart glasses, raising the overall component value per device.
Tesla represents the second major catalyst for the 3nm production line. Chief Executive Elon Musk confirmed that the upcoming AI5 computer is on schedule for mass production by the middle of 2027. Built in partnership with design firm GUC on the TSMC 3nm node, this silicon completed its tape out phase 1 quarter ahead of rivals at Samsung. The initial batch of AI5 chips will run the Optimus humanoid robot before rolling out to autonomous vehicles.
Robots require far more silicon than standard cars. If Tesla scales up Optimus production, the shipment volume for the AI5 could easily eclipse the traditional automotive market. Looking ahead, the product roadmap already points to an AI6 chip. A future AI6.5 variant is expected to use the TSMC 2nm node, with production likely based at the Arizona factory. This extended demand gives TSMC immense pricing power while feeding orders to ecosystem partners like ASE and GUC.
Source: ctee
