All posts tagged: TSMC

Broadcom and TSMC Consider Splitting Intel’s Design and Manufacturing Capabilities Between Them

Broadcom and TSMC Consider Splitting Intel’s Design and Manufacturing Capabilities Between Them

Published by Webster

Rumors are swirling about a possible takeover of Intel. Nothing has been inked, but Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) both are in the early stages of proposing potential deals, according to The Wall Street Journal. Broadcom could potentially seek a deal for Intel’s chip design assets, while TSMC eyes its manufacturing capabilities. More about Innovation Intel interim executive chairman allegedly met with buyers, government Broadcom and TSMC are not officially working together, and any plans either company has for deals with Intel are in preliminary stages, The Wall Street Journal said. However, Intel’s Interim Executive Chairman Frank Yeary has allegedly met with potential buyers and Trump administration officials. TSMC’s involvement in particular would need to take into account Intel’s U.S. national security relationships. Intel was the largest recipient of the U.S. Chips Act of 2022, which gave up to $7.9 billion in grants to U.S.-based factory projects. Reception of that money makes Intel subject to regulations that say the company must own a majority share of its factories if they are sold off …

Broadcom, TSMC Eye Possible Intel Deals to Split Storied Chipmaker: Report

Broadcom, TSMC Eye Possible Intel Deals to Split Storied Chipmaker: Report

Published by Webster

Intel’s rivals Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Broadcom are each eyeing potential deals that would break the US chipmaking icon in two, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. Broadcom has been closely examining Intel’s chip design and marketing business, the Journal reported, adding that the company had discussed a potential bid with its advisers but would likely only proceed if it found a partner for Intel’s manufacturing business. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, has separately studied controlling some or all of Intel’s chip plants, potentially as part of an investor consortium or other structure, the report said. Broadcom and TSMC are not working together, and all of the talks so far are preliminary and largely informal, the Journal added. Intel’s interim executive chairman, Frank Yeary, has been leading the discussions with possible suitors and Trump administration officials, who are concerned about the fate of a company seen as critical to national security, the report said. Yeary has been telling individuals close to him that he is most …

Arm Shocks the Semiconductor Industry by Announcing It May Sell Its Own Chips

Arm Shocks the Semiconductor Industry by Announcing It May Sell Its Own Chips

Published by Webster

Semiconductor design firm Arm surprised the hardware industry on Feb. 13 with the announcement that it will make a server CPU as well as license its semiconductor designs to other organizations; Meta locked in as the first partner. The move turns Arm from a resource for companies like Qualcomm and NVIDIA into a potential competitor. According to the Financial Times, Arm Chief Executive Rene Haas could show the new chip by the summer. More about Innovation Arm plans to make a chip for servers in large data centers Specifically, Arm will develop and sell its own CPU intended to reside in servers for large data centers. The processor will have a base architecture customizable to different customers. More details about the chip’s capabilities were not available at the time of writing. Arm won’t do the manufacturing; like many major semiconductor producers, the chip will be manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). Also, Arm has recruited personnel from its customers, according to Reuters. SEE: Data centers can reduce energy usage by changing just 30 lines …

TSMC to Suspend Production of Advanced AI Chips for China From November 11: Report

TSMC to Suspend Production of Advanced AI Chips for China From November 11: Report

Published by Webster

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has notified Chinese chip design companies that it is suspending production of their most advanced AI chips from Monday, the Financial Times reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, told Chinese customers it would no longer manufacture AI chips at advanced process nodes of 7 nanometres or smaller, FT said on Friday. The U.S. has imposed a raft of measures aimed at restricting the shipment of advanced GPU chips – which enable AI – to China to hobble its artificial intelligence capabilities, which Washington fears could be used to develop bioweapons and launch large-scale cyberattacks. Earlier this month, the U.S. imposed a $500,000 penalty on New York-based GlobalFoundries for shipping chips without authorization to an affiliate of blacklisted Chinese chipmaker SMIC. Any future supplies of the advanced AI chips by TSMC to Chinese customers would be subject to an approval process likely to involve Washington, according to the FT report. “TSMC does not comment on market rumour. TSMC is a law-abiding company and …

TSMC halts chip supply to customer after finding it in Huawei product: Report | Technology News

TSMC halts chip supply to customer after finding it in Huawei product: Report | Technology News

Published by Parlour News

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co has suspended shipments to a customer after it discovered that one of its chips supplied to the client ended up in a Huawei product, according to a Taiwan official familiar with the situation. About two weeks ago, TSMC suspended shipments to the client and began a detailed investigation, the trade and economic official said, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. The company has notified the U.S. and Taiwanese governments, the official said as it was an “important warning event” within TSMC, and can, at its earliest, be traced back to Oct. 11. The official did not identify the client TSMC had cut off. TSMC declined comment. TSMC had alerted U.S. officials after tech research firm TechInsights took apart a Huawei product and found one of TSMC’s chips, Reuters reported on Tuesday, in a possible violation of U.S. export restrictions. The U.S. curbed the export of advanced artificial intelligence chips to China two years ago, citing the need to limit the Chinese military’s capabilities. Huawei has been …

TSMC to Suspend Production of Advanced AI Chips for China From November 11: Report

TSMC Plans More Chip Plants in Europe, Taiwan Official Says

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is planning more plants in Europe with a focus on the market for Artificial Intelligence (AI) chips, according to a senior Taiwanese official, as the chipmaker expands its global footprint.  “They have started construction of the first fab in Dresden, they are already planning the next few fabs in the future for different market sectors as well,” Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen told Bloomberg TV in an interview aired on Monday.  Wu did not specify a timeline for the Taiwanese chipmaker’s further expansion in Europe. TSMC said in an emailed statement it remains focused on its current global expansion projects and has no new investment plans at this time. TSMC, which is the world’s biggest chipmaker and produces most of its semiconductors in Taiwan, is spending tens of billions of dollars to set up new sites in the US, Japan and Germany, partly to hedge against rising geopolitical tensions with China.  It broke ground in August on a EUR 10 billion ($10.9 billion roughly Rs. 91,789 crore) …

OpenAI Reportedly Developing Proprietary AI Chipsets, Said to Be Manufactured by TSMC

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OpenAI is reportedly developing a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) chipset, which will be manufactured by chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC). As per a report, the AI firm is looking to build a custom chipset based on the A16 Angstrom process which is yet to hit mass manufacturing. Interestingly, Apple is said to have also placed orders for the same chipsets, likely to be used in future iPhone models. This synergy is said to be more than a coincidence and it is believed that both companies are working together for future AI features, including Sora. OpenAI In-House AI Chipsets According to a Money.udn report, OpenAI has asked TSMC to produce A16 Angstrom chipsets. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the publication claimed that the AI firm is looking to develop in-house AI chipsets. While the fabrication process will be given by the Taiwan-based chipmaker, OpenAI will customise it to fit its AI systems. The report also claimed that the ChatGPT maker is looking to develop proprietary chipsets to power resource-intensive AI systems such as …

Google Pixel 10 May Ditch Samsung in Favour of TSMC for Tensor G5 SoC: Report

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Google Pixel 10 may get its chipset manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to a report. Although the smartphone isn’t slated to launch until late 2025, there have been reports that Google may stop using Samsung’s foundry post Pixel 9 and the Tensor G4. It is now being speculated that the company has already started manufacturing the sample units of the chip in order to get its making process up and running – even though the launch is more than a year away. Google Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 Chip: Details According to an Android Authority report, the chip was allegedly spotted in the shipping manifest of publicly available databases. Previous reports have suggested that the chip is codenamed “Laguna Beach”, the reference of which can be found in the database. It then goes on to mention the chip revision – “A0”, which is reportedly the first iteration of the Tensor G5, meaning further revisions will most likely take place before it is ready to power the Pixel 10 series. The listing also mentions “NPI-OPEN”, which …

iPhone 17 Pro Models to Arrive in 2025 With 2nm Chipset Built by TSMC: Report

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Apple is planning to launch the first iPhone equipped with a processor built on a 2nm process in 2025, according to a report. The Cupertino company will reportedly launch the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max with a next generation chipset from TSMC. The iPhone 15 Pro models were the first phones from Apple to be equipped with a 3nm A17 Pro chip, while the standard iPhone models still run on the 4nm A16 Bionic chipset that previously powered the Pro models launched in 2022. According to a DigiTimes report (via Apple Insider) citing supply chain sources, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is preparing a new chip manufactured on its 2nm process for the iPhone 17 Pro models that are expected to launch in the second half of 2024. Apple is also expected to introduce Mac models with 2nm chips in the future, but the report does not specify a timeline for these processors. With TSMC on track to produce the 2nm chips that will be built on its “N2” process technology, the …

Intel clinches nearly $20 billion in awards from Biden administration to boost US chip output | Business News

Published by Parlour News

The Biden administration said it is awarding Intel nearly $20 billion in grants and loans on Wednesday, supercharging the company’s domestic semiconductor chip output and marking the government’s largest outlay to subsidize leading-edge chip production. Biden will announce the preliminary agreement for $8.5 billion in grants and up to $11 billion in loans for Intel in Arizona, with some of the funding to be used to build two new factories and modernize an existing one. Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo called it a “huge deal” and one of the largest investments ever in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. “It means leading-edge semiconductors made in the United States of America,” she said on Tuesday, noting that the country’s share of leading-edge chip production is now at zero but may rise to 20% by 2030 thanks in part to the subsidy program. The goal is to reduce reliance on China and Taiwan, as the share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity in the U.S. has fallen from 37% in 1990 to 12% in 2020, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. …