TSMC and Intel have recently been locked in a heated debate over which company will have the superior node in the coming years as semiconductor manufacturers consolidate their 3nm processes and step up competition toward 2nm. TSMC is confident in its current development path, but Intel's goal is to enter the 2nm process first and re-establish its dominant position in the semiconductor industry.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger claimed that Intel's upcoming 18A process node (basically 1.8nm) could outperform TSMC's 2nm chips despite being launched a year earlier. The remarks contradict recent claims by Taiwanese rivals. Gelsinger made the remarks in an interview with Barron's.
He's not sure whether one node will be significantly better than another, but he's optimistic about the company's release window. The outlet placed Intel's competition with TSMC in the context of the United States' attempts to secure semiconductor supplies amid tense relations with China. As the market leader, TSMC supplies 3nm chips for Apple’s iPhone 15 and M3 Mac processors.
The company claims that its upcoming optimized 3nm node N3P will achieve power performance comparable to Intel 18A. The Taiwanese giant expects to achieve mass production of N3P in the second half of 2024 - around the same time as 20A (2nm) and 18A.
In addition, TSMC believes that its 2nm N2 node, which it plans to launch in 2025, will surpass N3P and 18A. Based on the company's first 3-nanometer process model, Apple may give priority to the N2 node and use it for iPhone 17 Pro.
Gelsinger is confident about the 20A and 18A mainly because of their RibbonFET architecture - the company's use of all-gate (GAA) transistors and backside power transfer technology. These technologies are critical for companies making 2-nanometer chips, enabling higher logic density and clock speeds while reducing power leakage. Meanwhile, TSMC's N3P and other upcoming 3nm nodes will continue to use mature FinFET architecture until Intel's N2 node moves to GAA a year later.
Intel and TSMC aren't the only companies preparing to make 2nm semiconductors. Samsung also hopes to enter 2nm mass production in 2025, while Japanese manufacturer Rapidus plans to launch prototypes in 2025 and start mass production in 2027.