The global semiconductor industry has encountered a capacity crisis in the past two years, resulting in shortages and price increases of various chips, affecting many industries such as automobiles and consumer electronics. Originally, the supply of chips in the second half of 2022 will be significantly improved. , However, at this time, TSMC suddenly came out with bad news, warning customers that the annual production capacity after next year will not be as expected.
According to Taiwanese media citing sources in the supply chain, TSMC recently issued a notice to customers, saying that the arrival of advanced manufacturing equipment has been delayed, and the annual production capacity increase in the next year may not be as expected.
According to the news announced at TSMC's recent shareholder meeting, next year's capital expenditure will be as high as 40 billion US dollars, mainly used to expand the production capacity of advanced processes. Although this notice does not mention specific processes, TSMC's position implies that 4nm, 3nm and other advanced processes Capacity will be tight next.
The US media also quoted Handel Jones, CEO of the research institute BIS, as saying that due to the surge in market demand and the shortage of semiconductor equipment, the production capacity of 3nm and 2nm advanced processes is facing challenges, and there may be a 10% or even 20% gap from 2024 to 2025.
The final impact of the notice issued by TSMC is still uncertain, but from the past, once the chip manufacturer expresses that its production capacity is tight, it will be out of stock and price increases. After all, TSMC is currently the largest and most advanced wafer in the world. Apple can't get rid of its dependence on the foundry.