TSMC Expects 10nm Demand to Soar

Alan Patterson, EETimes
10/20/2017 00:01 AM EDT

TAIPEI — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) expects demand for its 10nm products to soar this year while its largest customer, Apple, ramps up production of the iPhone X.

“We expect the N10 (TSMC’s designation for 10nm) to contribute about 10 percent of our full-year 2017 wafer revenue,” TSMC Co-CEO CC Wei said at an event in Taipei to announce the company’s third-quarter revenue. The outlook for the world’s biggest foundry has improved from three months ago, when the company said it expected 10nm sales to account for 10 percent of its second-half revenue.

Based on the latest forecast, TSMC would log $3.2 billion from sales of 10nm chips in 2017. The company started 10nm production in the second quarter of this year, lagging its largest foundry rival, Samsung, by about four months. TSMC has become the sole supplier of Apple’s application processors after snatching the business away from Samsung.

Some analysts had concerns about whether 10nm demand might plunge early next year, however.

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