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<\/p>\nBy\u00a0Josh Norem\u00a0on December 27, 2022<\/p>\n
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In a move that analysts are saying is quite rare, TSMC said it\u2019ll be holding a celebratory ceremony on Dec. 29 at its Taiwan HQ. The company will be announcing it\u2019s begun mass production of its highly anticipated 3nm process, known as\u00a0FinFlex<\/a>. Though it was expected TSMC would begin 3nm production around this time, it\u2019s unusual for the company to hold an event to celebrate the achievement. The reason it\u2019s crowing about it, some analysts say, is to pacify critics in China who have berated the company for its plans to begin producing advanced nodes in the United States. The move by TSMC seems to be to assure them it will always build its most advanced products in Taiwan.<\/p>\n News of the ceremony comes from\u00a0Focus Taiwan<\/a>\u00a0via\u00a09to5mac<\/a>. It says the company will place the final beam on a newly expanded fab in the ceremony. This process is known as \u201ctopping out\u201d and means the facility is ready to begin high-volume production. The Taiwan source says the company currently produces 5nm silicon at this site, which is dubbed Fab 18. It could theoretically be the fab that makes chips for AMD, Nvidia, and Apple. TSMC recently held a similarly high-profile event at its Arizona fab, with Apple CEO Tim Cook and President Joe Biden in attendance, where the company announced it\u2019ll begin\u00a0producing 4nm chips in Arizona<\/a>\u00a0in 2024. It\u2019ll eventually begin 3nm production in America too, but not for a few years.<\/p>\n FinFlex lets companies choose different FIN configurations for each functional block on the die. (Credit: TSMC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The main criticism TSMC has faced has been in response to its plan to triple its investment in its US fabs. On Dec. 6, it announced it was going to spend $40 billion to expand its facilities. That\u2019s up from the original $12 billion it had earmarked for its Arizona operation. It\u2019ll begin with 4nm production in 2024, then 3nm production in 2026. Four years from now, 3nm will be far from cutting-edge technology. Still, the move by TSMC could allow\u00a0companies like Apple<\/a>\u00a0to say they\u2019re using American-made silicon for the first time.<\/p>\n Also, a recent op-ed in a government-approved publication\u00a0accused the US<\/a>\u00a0of tricking TSMC into moving some of its advanced nodes to the states. The paper argued that the US government was essentially trying to steal China\u2019s most advanced technology. The move makes sense given all the\u00a0saber-rattling<\/a>\u00a0from Beijing recently. Taiwan is the biggest silicon fab company in the world and is responsible for over 60% of the world\u2019s chips.<\/p>\n TSMC\u2019s roadmap as of 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The move by TSMC to hold a ceremony might also be to silence critics who have said 3nm was delayed.\u00a0Samsung announced high-volume production of 3nm silicon<\/a>\u00a0way back in July. Still, TSMC\u2019s previous roadmap showed it beginning 3nm production in 2022. However, by holding an event on Dec. 29 it seems it reached that goal, but just by a hair. Apple is widely expected to be its first 3nm customer. The company is yet to announce the M2 Pro and Max SoCs, which are predicted to be made on the 3nm process. Its A17 SoC for the iPhone 15 is also expected to utilize TSMC\u2019s newest node.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.extremetech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/10.-TSMC_N3_v2.1963.Still010-640x360.jpg\")
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