Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, plans to build a 1 nm process fab in southern Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s United Daily News. TSMC aims to introduce the anticipated 1 nm process ahead of rivals such as Samsung Electronics and Intel to strengthen its market leadership.
A nanometer (nm) refers to the width of circuit lines on a semiconductor chip. The smaller the line width, the lower the power consumption and the faster the processing speed, making it a key factor in producing high-performance chips. While TSMC had previously announced its plans for a 1 nm process, this is the first time it has revealed specific details about the location and scale of its production lines.
TSMC’s most advanced 1 nm fab is reportedly planned for Shalun, Tainan, UDN reported on Feb. 3. The site is set to be a massive Giga-Fab housing six production lines. The company has submitted land-use requests to the Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration (STSPA) for 1.4 nm and 1nm production facilities in Shalun, according to reports. The first three fabs, from P1 to P3, would produce 1.4 nm chips, while the latter three, from P4 to P6, would focus on 1nm chips. The plan may be revised to include 1 nm and 0.7 nm processes later.
TSMC began producing 2 nm chips in Taiwan and 4 nm chips at its Arizona plant in the United States.
Competition among foundries is intensifying as demand surges for artificial intelligence chips. Until last year, the 3 nm process dominated the advanced semiconductor market, but both TSMC and Samsung Electronics plan to mass-produce 2 nm chips this year.
TSMC intends to maintain its lead in the semiconductor market by introducing the 1 nm process earlier than planned. Initially, the company planned to introduce the 1.4 nm process in 2027, but last year, it accelerated the timeline by a year and announced plans to start producing semiconductors using the 1.6 nm process in 2026. Samsung Electronics and Intel are expected to roll out 1.4 nm processes in 2027.
