2 nm process

In late 2018, TSMC chairman Mark Liu predicted chip scaling would continue to 3 nm and 2 nm nodes;[6] however, as of 2019, other semiconductor specialists were undecided as to whether nodes beyond 3 nm could become viable.[7]

TSMC began research on 2 nm in 2019.[8] TSMC expected to transition from FinFET to GAAFET transistor types when moving from 3 nm to 2 nm.[9]

Intel's 2019 roadmap scheduled potentially equivalent 3 nm and 2 nm nodes for 2025 and 2027 respectively.[10] In December 2019, Intel announced plans for 1.4 nm production in 2029.[10]

In August 2020, TSMC began building a R&D lab for 2 nm technology in Hsinchu, expected to become partially operational by 2021.[11] In September 2020 (SEMICON Taiwan 2020) it was reported that TSMC Chairman Mark Liu had stated the company would build a plant for the 2 nm node at Hsinchu in Taiwan, and that it could also install production at Taichung dependent on demand.[12] According to the Taiwan Economic Daily (2020) expectations were for high yield risk production in late 2023.[13][14] In July 2021, TSMC received governmental approval to build its 2 nm plant; according to Nikkei the company expects to install production equipment for 2 nm by 2023.[15]

At the end of 2020, seventeen European Union countries signed a joint declaration to develop their entire semiconductor industry, including developing process nodes as small as 2 nm, as well as designing and manufacturing custom processors, assigning up to 145 billion euro in funds.[16][17]

In May 2021, IBM announced it had produced 2 nm class transistor using three silicon layer nanosheets with a gate length of 12 nm.[18][19][20]

In July 2021, Intel unveiled its process node roadmap from 2021 onwards. The company confirmed their 2 nm process node called Intel 20A,[notes 1] with the "A" referring to angstrom, a unit equivalent to 0.1 nanometer.[21] At the same time they introduced a new process node naming scheme that aligned their product names to similar designations from their main competitors.[22] However Intel 20A (same as 2nm) is actually a 5nm process going by existing industry naming standards.[23] Intel's 20A node is projected to be their first to move from FinFET to Gate-All-Around transistors (GAAFET); Intel's version is named 'RibbonFET'.[22] Their 2021 roadmap scheduled the Intel 20A node for introduction in 2024.[22]

Intel has planned 18A (equivalent to 1.8 nm) production for 2024, products after 2024.[21][2]

• Merritt, Rick (26 March 2018), "2nm: End of the Road ?", www.eetasia.com