from Hacker News

TSMC to manufacture 2nm chips in 2025. Apple and Intel first to adopt

by galogon on 4/22/22, 11:21 AM with 20 comments

• by imtringued on 4/22/22, 3:30 PM

  Please avoid arguments that refer to the impossibility of manufacturing a planar transistor this small. These manufacturing processes no longer use planar transistors, they just use density numbers to work backwards to what the size of the planar transistors would have to be to reach an equivalent density. The fact that those theoretical planar transistors are different for each manufacturer adds even more confusion.

  It's like how tank protection is rated with rolled homogenous armor. When a tank has a 900mm RHA rating, there isn't actually a 900mm thick steel plate, it means the armor is equally effective as a steel plate with that thickness.

• by mromanuk on 4/22/22, 12:37 PM

  Even more impressive is Intel's decision to outsource their own processors to TSMC.

• by renox on 4/22/22, 10:07 PM

  Sigh, when are we going to get rid of this meaningless figure??

  Million of transistors per mm2 is a much more interesting metric.

• by maxharris on 4/22/22, 12:47 PM

  I can't get past the paywall. I'm curious about where TSMC's fabs will be located, given the increased potential of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and the desire of the United States to retain control of advanced chip fabrication technology.