TSMC’s 3-nm Ramp Looks Different in Historical Context

By Ron Honig, EE Times | September 30, 2026 

TSMC’s 3-nm process is approaching an important milestone. In the second quarter of 2026, it accounted for 30% of wafer revenue, just behind 5 nm at 33%. Recent industry reports suggest that 3 nm could become TSMC’s largest revenue-generating process family during the second half of the year.

But its current size does not tell us how quickly it got there. To compare ramp speed, I used TSMC’s quarterly disclosures to track each node’s share of wafer revenue over its first six quarters as a separate line item, for 10 nm, 7 nm, 5 nm, and 3 nm. Aligning the nodes by age, not calendar date, makes the ramps directly comparable.

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