TSMC 3nm has another heavyweight customer joining the company. It is reported in the market that after Apple and MediaTek, mobile phone chip maker Qualcomm will also entrust TSMC to produce its next-generation 5G flagship chip using 3nm. It will be released as soon as late October, becoming TSMC's third 3nm customer. In response to relevant rumors, Qualcomm did not respond as of the deadline yesterday (25th), while TSMC declined to comment.
Legal experts believe that TSMC’s 3-nanometer technology is expected to increase orders from major manufacturers such as NVIDIA and AMD in the future. As relevant indicator manufacturers start to produce wafers one after another, it is revealed that TSMC’s 3-nanometer technology continues to outperform the rest of the pack and is still the first choice for major international manufacturers. It is difficult for rivals such as Samsung and Intel to catch up.
Qualcomm announced at the Snapdragon Summit last year that its annual 5G flagship chip "Snapdragon 8 Gen 2" was built using TSMC's 4-nanometer process; the previous generation of Qualcomm's "Snapdragon 8 Gen 1" was produced using Samsung's 4-nanometer process. After problems such as heat dissipation emerged, Qualcomm urgently launched an upgraded version of the "Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1" and switched to TSMC's 4-nanometer process.
Qualcomm has always adopted a diversified supplier strategy in selecting wafer foundries. It is reported in the industry that Qualcomm has privately informed mobile phone brand customers that the next-generation 5G flagship chip "Snapdragon 8Gen3" is expected to be released in late October, and will be available in TSMC's 4-nanometer (N4P) and 3-nanometer (N3E) process versions.
The market has previously speculated whether TSMC’s total 3-nanometer process production capacity, in addition to supplying Apple’s needs, is sufficient to meet the needs of non-Apple customers. However, so far, there has been no news on why Qualcomm wants to build two versions of the Snapdragon 8Gen3 processor.
Before Qualcomm, MediaTek and TSMC had jointly announced that the development of MediaTek's first "Dimensity" series flagship chip produced using TSMC's 3-nanometer process is going very smoothly. It has successfully completed the design finalization (tapeout) and is expected to be mass-produced next year.
In addition, MediaTek's flagship chip "Dimensity 9300" built on TSMC's 4-nanometer process is expected to be launched in October, setting the stage for competition in the mobile phone market next year. According to external interpretations, MediaTek's flagship product produced this year using the 3nm process has reached a certain stage of development, and is preparing to take over later, with plans to launch it in the second half of 2024.
Currently, TSMC’s main customer for 3nm is Apple. The A17Pro chip used in Apple’s latest iPhone15Pro and iPhone15ProMax models is produced with TSMC’s 3nm and is also the first batch of TSMC’s 3nm products. It is rumored that Apple has contracted TSMC’s initial 3nm mass production capacity.
As MediaTek and Qualcomm successively join TSMC's 3-nanometer manufacturing ranks, legal persons are optimistic that TSMC's 3-nanometer mass production will be more economical and will continue to widen the gap with its competitors in the future.