Exposure: TSMC starts trial production of 1nm chips.

Foreign media's latest forecast on TSMC's advanced process development plan predicts that after the 1.4nm process is confirmed to enter mass production in the second half of 2028, TSMC's advanced processes below 1nm are expected to enter trial production in 2029. The initial monthly production capacity is planned at 5000 wafers, and Apple is expected to be one of the first customers for this process. Benefiting from the surge in demand for high-performance AI computing, TSMC's advanced process capacity continues to be in short supply. The company's 2nm process officially entered mass production in the fourth quarter of 2025, with related capacity already reserved by core customers until 2028. Customer orders for the subsequent 1.6nm process have also been confirmed. According to the technical roadmap, the 1.4nm process, codenamed A14, is expected to enter large-scale mass production in 2028, with a projected 30% increase in performance and energy efficiency. Apple has a deep partnership with TSMC, and this year's iPhone 18 series will be the first to be equipped with TSMC's 2nm A20/A20 Pro chips. Subsequent flagship Apple processors will continue to follow the 1.4nm advanced process, maintaining a performance advantage in mobile chips. Therefore, it is widely predicted in the market that Apple will continue to be the first cooperative customer for TSMC's processes below 1nm. Processes below 1nm represent the limit of semiconductor technology, and yield control will be the core key to whether TSMC can smoothly land and achieve profitability. Industry insiders believe that TSMC's ability to continuously expand the capacity of advanced processes while stably tackling the yield challenge will directly determine its long-term profitability and leading position in the global wafer foundry industry. This article is reprinted from the WeChat public account "Semiconductor Investment Alliance," edited by GMTEight: Chen Siyu.