TSMC Move Up 3nm ‘Ready’ Date to 2022

With the launch of the AMD Radeon VII earlier this year, we got our first look at the 7nm node design technology which has been utilized further by Team Red with the launch of the 3rd-generation Ryzen processors and most recently the Radeon 5700 (and XT) graphics cards.

With one of the biggest manufacturers of the chipset technology being TSMC, they’re usually the best source for knowing as/when we can expect further improvements in the future. Well, it seems that in a report via TechPowerUp, things are going along more than a little well as the company has said that they are on track to have 3nm ready by 2022. A whole year earlier than originally estimated.

TSMC on Track for 3nm in 2022

Now, admittedly, whether companies such as AMD, Nvidia or Intel will be ready for 3nm in 2022 is another matter entirely. The chances, however, are not that great. For example, it’s pretty well known that Intel is struggling to even made the transition over to 12nm at the moment. Let alone them being in a position to match AMD’s current 7nm platform.

It may, however, simply lead a number of companies ‘skipping’ a node design which, if it genuinely will be ready by 2022, could potentially mean us seeing our first 3nm processors and graphics cards by as early as 2023.

What Do We Think?

For those of you unaware, there are huge benefits to these smaller node designs. In very basic terms, the number refers to the size of the ‘gaps’ between the chip’s main components such as the transistors. The smaller the gaps, the more efficiently they can perform.

At the time of writing, however, it should be noted that we’re still a long way away from any kind of 3nm release. Even AMD doesn’t suggest that they’ll have any 5nm graphics cards or processors ready until at least 2021.

It does, however, at least show that TSMC is well ahead of the curve which, for us humble consumers, can only mean good things in the future!

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!