TSMC says ‘A16’ tech to arrive in 2026, setting up showdown with Intel over who can make the world’s fastest chips
- TSMC, a key supplier to Nvidia and Apple, says AI chip makers are likely to be the first adopters of its new A16 tech rather than smartphone makers
- Analysts say TSMC’s announcements call into question Intel’s claims that it will retake the world chip-making crown
Analysts said the technologies announced on Wednesday could call into question Intel’s claims in February that it will overtake TSMC in making the world’s fastest-computing chips with a new technology Intel calls “14A”.
Kevin Zhang, TSMC’s senior vice-president of business development, told reporters that the company has developed its new A16 chip-making process faster than expected because of demand from AI chip firms, without naming specific customers.
AI chip firms “really want to optimise their designs to get every ounce of performance we have”, Zhang said.
TSMC also revealed a new technology for supplying power to semiconductors from the backside of the chip, which helps speed up AI processors and will be available in 2026.
Intel has announced a similar technology intended to be one of its primary competitive advantages.
Analysts said the announcements called into question Intel’s claims that it will retake the world chip-making crown.
“It’s debatable, but on some metrics, I don’t think they’re ahead,” Dan Hutcheson, vice-chair at analyst firm TechInsights, said of Intel.
But Kevin Krewell, a principal at Tirias Research, cautioned that both Intel and TSMC’s technologies remain years away from being delivered and will need to prove that real chips match their keynote presentations.