10 Semiconductors
10.1 N2 - Two Nanometer Chips
Tooze
Any company that opens up a technological lead in the next generation of advanced semiconductors will be well placed to dominate an industry that pulled in well over $500bn in global chip sales last year. That is projected to grow further due to a surge in demand for the data centre chips that power generative AI services. TSMC, which dominates the global market in processors, has already shown the process test results for its “N2” — or 2 nanometre — prototypes to some of its biggest customers, including Apple and Nvidia, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions. But two people close to Samsung said the Korean chipmaker was offering cut-price versions of its latest 2 nanometre prototypes in an effort to attract the interest of big-name customers including Nvidia. “Samsung sees 2 nanometre as a game-changer,” said James Lim, analyst at US hedge fund Dalton Investments. “But people are still doubtful it can execute the migration better than TSMC.”
