The first to use TSMC’s 2nm chips would be Apple and Intel

Although it is only from 2026 that they hope to be able to mass produce chips at 2 nanometers (N2), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), already has a list of customers ready to use this manufacturing technology. Reports indicate that both Intel and Apple already have plans to take advantage of 2nm and pre-orders are expected to start soon.

Apple’s presence is not surprising: in recent years it has been one of the largest contributors to semiconductor foundry revenue. Intel is expected to deepen its partnership with TSMC through the manufacture of graphics cards and various system on chips (SoC)in addition to applications for the server segment.

Mass production of the technology is expected to begin in 2026.

Thanks to Intel’s large production volume, DigiTimes cree which could become one of TSMC’s biggest customers in the coming years. While 2-nanometer chips aren’t expected to reach mass production until 2026, they’re already in the planning and development stages. they should start their first tests in 2024enough time for Intel and Apple to plan the best way to use them.

TSMC can help on Intel’s Lunar Lake

According to analyst Sze Jo Ng of China Renaissance Securities, the new nodes will be usable on GPUs coming out with Lunar Lakewhich is scheduled for release in 2025 and promises to use the company’s 18A manufacturing method.

While Intel must continue to manufacture CPUs in its own foundries, it has already made it clear that will continue to rely on partners for the production of graphics cards. The use of N2 nodes is only speculative at the moment, but it makes sense according to the business scheme established by the company.

N2 technology is also being studied by companies such as NVIDIA, AMD and Media Tek, who are expected to use it in the future. In the meantime, TSMC is expected to continue to see strong demand for its N3 nodeswhich are expected to ramp up production in late 2023 and early 2024.