Apple partner speaks to customers about building even more powerful chipsets
Cutting-edge chipsets for smartphones currently are produced using the 7nm process. The smaller that number, the larger the number of transistors that can fit inside a chipset. As a comparison, the 7nm Snapdragon 855 SoC is more powerful and energy-efficient than the 10nm Snapdragon 835. And when the phones powered by 5nm chips start rolling out, perhaps by the middle of next year at the earliest, they will be more powerful and energy-efficient than the current 7nm SoCs.
“On N3, the technology development progress is going well, and we are already engaging with the early customers on the technology definition. We expect our 3-nanometer technology to further extend our leadership position well into the future.”-C.C. Wei, CEO and co-chairman, TSMC
Since 5nm chips are still 12 to 18 months away, TSMC won’t discuss what the advantages of 3nm over 5nm will be. But the foundry did say that it looked at all possible transistor structure options for its customers and believes its solution will meet the requirements TSMC’s customers have. The chip manufacturer notes that 3nm is a completely new technology and not just an improved version of the 5nm process.
Will Moore’s Law still continue past the 3nm process? That is the question that for now, we can’t answer.