5nm Production

Next month, TSMC is to start volume 5nm production according to Digitimes.

The 5nm capacity is reported to be already fully booked out.

5nm doesn’t mean much these days when the line pitch is probably 30-40nm.

TMSC’s 5nm node is said to have a density of 160Mtr/mm2, compared to Intel’s 7nm which is reported to have a density of  around 200MTr/mm2.

Although Intel is reported to be a year behind TSMC on process, Intel’s 5nm is reported to be half a node denser than TSMC’s 3nm which probably puts Intel on about the same level as TSMC.

The next measure of process competitiveness could be the move from Finfet to GAA. Here reports are that Samsung will win this one with its transition taking place next year, with Intel following at 5nm in 2023, and TSMC moving across in 2024 at 2nm.