Overview
- Industry outlets, citing LibertyTimes, report TSMC has completed development and verification of an angstrom‑class A16 1.6nm process and plans to move it into mass production later this year, but those claims are not independently confirmed.
- Sources say the node would deliver modest gains versus enhanced 2nm, with roughly 8–10% higher speed and density and about 15–20% lower power use as reported.
- The reported change in chip architecture places the power network on the wafer backside and uses Vertical Backside Contacts to separate power routing from signal wiring, a move intended to ease wiring and power delivery limits.
- Coverage says TSMC would first use the 1.6nm process for AI accelerators and high‑end compute rather than smartphone SoCs, while major customers are expected to deploy 2nm for upcoming flagship phones.
- Reports also describe TSMC running near full capacity and pursuing a follow‑on 1.4nm node, a timeline that could affect chip supply for AI companies, PC makers and smartphone vendors if the reports prove accurate.