Good for mobiles, something for desktop and nothing server chips. Looks like these fake nanometers started to fly like hot cakes with increased frequency. Actual density does not change at all. If transistor size was 43x43 nm with 5-7nm it still will be may be 40x40 nm with 2 nm.
Before switch to each new step in nm technology meant geometrical doubling density and more cores. Now it means nothing, just couple tens percents in power efficiency.
If currently with 5-7nm you get 100-core server chips, in good old days at 2nm you would get almost (7nm/2nm)^2=1225 cores but with that nm race you will only get announcement of another great nm "breakthrough".
It was a very long time since a new node was a true halving in size in both x and y and you could evn say there never was, besides that was in the good old days of planar transistors. With FinFet we moved into 3D transistors and now we move into vertical stacking so even if the old planar measurements seem to indicate stagnation it isn't as bad as you try to make it out to be.
When flying over USA have you noticed the land divided by squares ? These are typically 1 square mile private lands mostly for agriculture. Just one such square covered by solar panels (with modern batteries for night use) is enough to feed first 3 largest TOP500 supercomputers -- Frontier, Aurora and Microsoft one.
to quote the internet “ A 1 MW turbine produces on average about 0.3 MW. A 1 MW solar farm produces on average about 0.15 MW. So you would need a 2 MW solar farm to produce the same power as 1 MW wind turbine. Assuming the PV panels are 0.435 kW which is a common size, you would need about 4600 panels.” so might be better off with wind turbines… (and not being off-topic, lol)
I've read speculation that apple will use N2 in 2025, but I'm skeptical that can really happen if high volume manufacturing doesn't until the 2nd half. Allegedly HVM of N3 began in December 2022 and Apple didn't release an N3 based product until September of 2023 -- nine months later. So even if "second half of 2025" means July 1st, we shouldn't expect Apple to ship these chips in a product until first quarter of 2026.
"Finally, for those companies that need the best in performance, power, and density, TSMC is poised to offer their A16 process in 2026. That node will also bring in backside power delivery, which will add costs, but is expected to greatly improve performance efficiency and scaling."
Intel mentioned that BSPD is going to "Reduce" cost not "Increase" i.e. reduce in total number of layer.
Yes they don't because they nowdays nodes is just marketing names
So if N3B fails and delay so what I just rename N5+++ to N3E wow I have a working N3 (wow 3nm) oh so great.
So if N2P is fail and delay so what I just rename N2 and then push a new name A16, now I am on schedule, oh yes TSMC always on schedule but the "rename" schedule
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SanX - Thursday, May 30, 2024 - link
Good for mobiles, something for desktop and nothing server chips. Looks like these fake nanometers started to fly like hot cakes with increased frequency. Actual density does not change at all. If transistor size was 43x43 nm with 5-7nm it still will be may be 40x40 nm with 2 nm.Before switch to each new step in nm technology meant geometrical doubling density and more cores. Now it means nothing, just couple tens percents in power efficiency.
If currently with 5-7nm you get 100-core server chips, in good old days at 2nm you would get almost (7nm/2nm)^2=1225 cores but with that nm race you will only get announcement of another great nm "breakthrough".
Zoolook13 - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
It was a very long time since a new node was a true halving in size in both x and y and you could evn say there never was, besides that was in the good old days of planar transistors.With FinFet we moved into 3D transistors and now we move into vertical stacking so even if the old planar measurements seem to indicate stagnation it isn't as bad as you try to make it out to be.
nandnandnand - Saturday, June 1, 2024 - link
"Good for mobiles, something for desktop and nothing server chips."I guess power efficiency doesn't matter for servers? I'll tell them to spin up some new nuclear power plants.
SanX - Sunday, June 2, 2024 - link
When flying over USA have you noticed the land divided by squares ? These are typically 1 square mile private lands mostly for agriculture. Just one such square covered by solar panels (with modern batteries for night use) is enough to feed first 3 largest TOP500 supercomputers -- Frontier, Aurora and Microsoft one.Surfacround - Tuesday, June 4, 2024 - link
to quote the internet “ A 1 MW turbine produces on average about 0.3 MW. A 1 MW solar farm produces on average about 0.15 MW. So you would need a 2 MW solar farm to produce the same power as 1 MW wind turbine. Assuming the PV panels are 0.435 kW which is a common size, you would need about 4600 panels.”so might be better off with wind turbines… (and not being off-topic, lol)
Threska - Sunday, June 2, 2024 - link
Bioprocessors are the future.https://tinyurl.com/zexw249w
Blastdoor - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
I've read speculation that apple will use N2 in 2025, but I'm skeptical that can really happen if high volume manufacturing doesn't until the 2nd half. Allegedly HVM of N3 began in December 2022 and Apple didn't release an N3 based product until September of 2023 -- nine months later. So even if "second half of 2025" means July 1st, we shouldn't expect Apple to ship these chips in a product until first quarter of 2026.my_wing - Sunday, June 2, 2024 - link
"Finally, for those companies that need the best in performance, power, and density, TSMC is poised to offer their A16 process in 2026. That node will also bring in backside power delivery, which will add costs, but is expected to greatly improve performance efficiency and scaling."Intel mentioned that BSPD is going to "Reduce" cost not "Increase" i.e. reduce in total number of layer.
TSMC is so Doomed
my_wing - Monday, June 3, 2024 - link
Some comments in other TSMC articles never delay.Yes they don't because they nowdays nodes is just marketing names
So if N3B fails and delay so what I just rename N5+++ to N3E wow I have a working N3 (wow 3nm) oh so great.
So if N2P is fail and delay so what I just rename N2 and then push a new name A16, now I am on schedule, oh yes TSMC always on schedule but the "rename" schedule
Which is ""Meaningless"""