According to multiple sources in Taiwan, TSMC bring it up chip production at 5nm at maximum rate, and it seems that COVID-19 is not currently affecting them. Anyway, what's the point the delay is 3nm, currently for six months and with plans to do even more if the lack of supply due to Coronavirus is maintained for a long time. And unfortunately, the guess is that they also eventually reduced the 5 nm emission for the same reason, which is may affect the introduction of AMD & # 39; s Zen 4 processors.
The TSMC had high hopes for the start of the COVID-19 epidemic and many manufacturers announced the suspension and delay, as it was currently not affecting them. However, this thing is expanding over time and looks like it will do even more, so in the end no one is saved and so far the company has already announced a new one a six-month delay at its production point at 3 nm.
The 5 nm TSMCs are in high quality… for now
Given the current global trend in terms of logistics and production, this 3nm TSMC delay will increase in advance of the six months it has announced, and all suggest that if this goes on too long it will also affect. 5 nm, which will have a direct impact on the launch date of AMD Zen 4 processors, based on this 5nm node.
This is so because the 3nm chip production of the TSMC is done in Fab 18 (which you can see in the picture above), at the same location where they produced the 5nm chip. The first two phases of the fabrication of this Fab 18 were deduced at 5 nm, and the next two focused at 3 nm.
However, TSMC confirms that it is at the full production level of these kits and that it is not affected by the disease, although market analysts have not had such optimism, especially since. the industry is the same. What the analysts are not considering is whether there is a forecast at the moment.
Production challenges at 5 and 3 nm
Since EUV scanners Not as powerful as the old production systems, the effect of the 5nm chip is much less than they had with other lithographs. With the new chips, more than ten layers will be unveiled for the first time in EUV, and that is the first process to be made entirely for EUV.
To date, the 7nm N7 and N7P surfaces used classical lithograph immersion, the N7 + node having several process differences. EUV reduces the time needed for production and we are finally starting to see the initial benefits of this process, but today production at 5 nm is still slow, which can raise problems and, as we show earlier, end up affecting the next big release like AMD Zen 4 processors.