Posted on 12/30/2025 7:30:00 AM PST by Bobalu
TSMC has quietly revealed that it had commenced volume production of chips using its N2 (2nm-class) fabrication process. The company did not issue a formal press release notifying about the production start, but the firm had said multiple times that N2 was on track for volume manufacturing in Q4, so the plan has been fulfilled.
(Excerpt) Read more at tomshardware.com ...
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At this point, it’s just marketing. There’s no benefit due to quantum tunneling. We need a complete sea change in how we approach chips.
TSMC = Tokyo Solid Model Club (Japan)
Not sure how production will work if China does the unspeakable. Drove past their plant in Phoenix over Christmas, it’s huge. Link says these are being made in their Taiwan plant, unsure of what lines could be moved to this new plant or if we would just shut em down since China would essentially own them then.
The next one is 20 angstrom and there are already at least 3 versions of that process.
Beyond that, who can say.
TSMC = Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
When I started in the industry we are at around 10-20 microns.
Intel scrapped its 2nm node in favor of the smaller 18 angstrom (18A) node. AMD says it’s next processor will use the N2 production process. Both of these facts suggest that TSMC is not ahead of Intel or AMD.
This will show up in higher‑end smart glasses around 2027–2028, mainly as better battery life, cooler frames, and more on‑device AI/graphics in a similar or smaller form factor. Maybe they’ll bring some to production in time for next Christmas season, but more than likely this will come later.
Better perf‑per‑watt enables thinner, lighter frames because the system can hit its feature targets with smaller batteries and less metal devoted to thermal management.
Combined with advances in radios and displays, this will make smart glasses feel more like always‑on, context‑aware assistants rather than a heads-up display for our cell phones.
I wonder if and when smart glasses will replace smart phones entirely. This tech will probably get us close but not all the way.
Worked at intel and ultratech stepper in the 70/80’s.
1 micron was current.
????
Once down to the size of an electron...
I wore glasses from the 7th grade onward. Had the lenses in my eyes replaced during cataract surgery. It took five years to include that space the frames took around my eyes in my field of vision. I will never put on smart glasses to be used like a stupid phone.
I haven’t tried them yet, but I expect they’ll be the next tech trend. Since I usually wear glasses, it should not be a major adjustment.
Ever wear sunglasses?
That is pretty close to the bottom. A silicon atom is about .2 Nano Meters.
I’m next to Intel. Gigantic plant.
I’m next to Intel. Gigantic plant.
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