Future Shortage: TSMC's 2nm Chip Queue Stretches to 2027

The Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC continues to outperform competitors Samsung and Intel in its segment. According to recent data, the queue for chips based on the 2nm process is already booked two years in advance.

Order Completion Times

Analyst Tim Culpan (Culpium), who has worked in Taiwan for over 25 years, states that those placing orders for 2nm products today will not receive finished goods until the second quarter of 2027 at the earliest. 

The standard waiting period for order fulfillment is currently around six quarters. Therefore, even the slightest production delay threatens to disrupt the release schedules for new devices.

Apple and Nvidia: The Battle for Priority

The situation with the enhanced 3nm process looks equally tight; orders are fully booked through 2027. TSMC's primary clients are Apple and Nvidia. Both companies have already reserved a significant portion of supplies; specifically, Apple plans to implement the new technologies in upcoming MacBook generations. Despite this, Nvidia has surpassed Apple in payments to TSMC by nearly $4 billion.

Updates from TSMC

A new version of the 2nm process, N2P, will enter mass production in the second half of 2026. This technology will offer a 5% performance boost at the current power consumption level. 

The A16 process will be used for high-performance chips aimed at server solutions and computing. 

These new technologies are planned for production in the United States rather than Japan, where previous generations were manufactured.