TSMC’s 6nm process technology was not mentioned so often in the news, but the company introduced it back in April this year, calling it a transitional stage between 7nm and 5nm. According to design standards and technological equipment, it is almost completely compatible with the 7nm process technology, and the addition of one layer with EUV lithography allows an 18% increase in the density of transistors. As conceived by TSMC, this very 6nm technical process will become the choice of those who are not ready to shell out for 5nm technology and get involved with the accompanying technical difficulties.

In this context, the statement of the Bloomberg resource about Intel’s readiness to pay TSMC for an order for the release of 180 thousand 6-nm products in 2021 sounds quite unexpected. What products are in question is not specified, but earlier rumors circulated that Intel would instruct TSMC to release discrete DG2 graphics processors using 6nm technology. The year 2021 was mentioned as the likely period for placing this order. Graphics processor DG2 must be on the level or slightly higher than Intel DG1 in terms of performance but will use the Intel X unified architecture ^e… The circulation of the first 6-nm Intel products mentioned by Bloomberg sources suggests that we are talking about GPUs, which at first will not be so numerous. Theoretically, a certain component of the Ponte Vecchio computing accelerator can be produced using 6-nm technology.

Against the backdrop of this whole story with the “technological impotence of Intel”, TSMC shares have risen in price by more than 10%, increasing the capitalization of the Taiwanese manufacturer by $ 35 billion, to a thirty-year high. TSMC now ranks twelfth in the world in terms of capitalization, ahead of some American giants such as Walmart. Since March this year, TSMC has managed to increase its own capitalization by $ 160 billion. According to forecasts of analysts from Aletheia Capital, Intel orders will allow TSMC to increase revenue more than by 5-10% per year, which were foreseen in the earlier forecast.