TSMC's 1.4nm Process Hits Performance and Yield Targets, Progress Exceeds Expectations

TSMC stated that the development progress of the A14 process is fully on track at its earnings call. Internal test chip devices have achieved nearly 90% of target performance values, and the yield for the 256-megabit SRAM is close to 90%. Customers of the smartphone, HPC, and AI sectors have shown strong willingness to collaborate, with ongoing in-depth technical engagement. Currently, customer tape-out schedules are ahead of the original plan. Risk production is expected to begin in 2027, with mass production officially slated for 2028. Compared to TSMC's N2 process, the A14 process delivers a 10% to 15% performance improvement at the same power consumption, or a 25% to 30% power reduction at the same performance level. Chip density is also increased by 20%. In addition, TSMC is developing the A13 and A12 processes, which offer higher performance built on the A14 foundation. Both processes are targeted for mass production in 2029.