TSMC Announces 16nm FinFET Plus Process in Trial Production

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced its 16-nanometer FinFET Plus process in trial  production with networking & communications chips and mobile phone processors, paving the way to win Apple’s contract for  A9 processors.

TSMC plans to volume produce with the advanced process in July next year after reliability tests of the process by the end of this November.

Industry executives say TSMC will get a jump on formidable competitors like Samsung with the advanced 16nm process entering  production. Samsung is trying to move from 16nm to 14nm process development to hopefully win  Apple’s A9 processor contracts, but trial production is running into glitches, according to capital equipment suppliers.

TSMC executives say, compared with all its process technologies developed in the past, the 16nm FinFET plus has reached optimal maturity in all comparable development stages. By the end of 2015, the company will complete an estimated 60 tape outs, the final stage of design cycle for integrated circuits or printed circuit boards.

Industry executives say the fabless chipmaker, Hisilicon Technology Co., Ltd. of China, will become TSMC’s first customer when the 16nm process enters volume production in July next year, projecting the advanced process technology to prompt fabless chipmakers to reconsider placing contracts with TSMC instead of Samsung.

TSMC says the 16nm process, with completed eco system, supports various electronic design automations (EDAs) verified with silicon IPs, and hundreds of process design kits, and over 100 silicon IPs.

The 16nm process operates 40% faster than its planar 20nm system-on-chip (20SoC) process, and consumes 50% less power at the same speed, offering new level of performance and power optimization targeted at the next generation of high-end mobile, computing, networking, and consumer applications. (KL)