TSMC mentions 1.4nm and 1.0nm processes on roadmaps for the first time

TSMC confirms that it is working on chip production at 1.4nm and 1.0nm. The company shows on its new roadmaps that these production processes will be called A14 and A10 respectively. It is still unclear when TSMC’s first 1.4 and 1.0nm chips will appear.

In a slide of its Future of Logic presentation, TSMC said that A14 is ‘in development’, and that its N2 process is still scheduled for 2025. As N2P, an improved version of the N2 process, is due in 2026 should appear, it looks like the first TSMC chips baked at 1.4 nanometers won’t appear until 2027 at the earliest. Samsung previously announced that it wants to use a process with 1.4 nanometer transistors for the first time that year.

It is not yet clear what TSMC’s 1.4nm process should look like. According to Tom’s Hardware it is likely that the A14 process, like 2nm, uses second or third generation gate-all-around field-effect transistors, instead of vertically stacked complementary field-effect transistors.

Another slide of the presentation looks ahead to 2030 and there the A10 process is mentioned for the first time. TSMC currently seems to be planning to produce 1.0nm chips in seven years, although that remains to be seen for the time being.