TSMC will launch mass production of its 1.6nm chips in 2026, which Apple and OpenAI are already interested in

TSMC, the world's leading chip maker, plans to start mass production of chips using A16 Angstrom (1.6nm) technology in 2026. This will be a year earlier than Intel and Samsung, which will start producing their 1.4nm chips in 2027. Notably, TSMC will not need to use expensive ASML lithography machines for this process, each costing $380 million.

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Apple has already placed orders to produce chips using Angstrom's A16 technology, and OpenAI is considering building its own AI chip using the technology. This chip would improve the capabilities of Sora's video generation feature, which could become part of Apple's AI solutions.

Chips using A16 Angstrom technology will be 8-10% faster and consume 20% less power compared to 2nm chips. Demand for such chips is expected to be high, especially if ChatGPT usage continues to grow. OpenAI could need $16 billion in chips annually if ChatGPT usage reaches one-tenth the scale of Google Search. ByteDance also plans to use TSMC chips for its AI algorithms despite US sanctions.

Source: UDN