TSMC’s 3nm node is reportedly facing delays

Fighting physics is hard work, and companies like Samsung, TSMC and Intel are battling to make transistors smaller and computers more powerful. The chips inside today’s PCs a created using building blocks that are approaching the atomic scale, and pushing to make things smaller and more efficient is becoming increasingly difficult. 

According to a report from Digitimes, TSMC is facing issues with their planned 3nm process, problems which could cause the node to be delayed. Samsung is also reportedly having problems reaching 3nm, forcing both foundries to fall behind schedule. These reported difficulties could make 5nm a longer-lived node than expected, hampering the potential progress of those who rely on leading-edge silicon manufacturing. 

If TMSC and Samsung face 3nm delays, Intel will have more opportunities to catch up to their East Asian competition before a wider gap can emerge. Intel’s current 10nm process is roughly equivalent to TSMC’s 7nm in terms of transistor scaling, and their smaller 7nm node is reportedly facing delays. 

Creating smaller transistors is becoming an increasingly difficult and expensive process, which is why there are only three silicon foundries which can be considered “leading edge” today.    

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