Intel has two

TSMC will always have more volumes, and I agree Intel is about a year behind. But that’s still far better than it was not that long ago during the 10nm debacle.

N3e is designed for phones which Intel doesn’t do. Intel 3 is roughly same density as TSMC N3p, the performance node which is more what Intel need for server chips, and Apple are using in the next Macs.

But both have now reached the absolute end stops on FinFET so it will be interesting to see how they compare on the Nanosheet products.

Unfortunately it looks like Intel 18A hasn’t been that good so far on prototypes delivered, but we haven’t heard much about the equivalent TSMC N2 either – it’s certainly running too late for next year’s iPhone. Plus of course both depend on ASML NA machines of which I believe they have one each.

TSMC’s N3 might be comparable to Intel 4 but N3 has been in volume production for at least a year longer than Intel 4 and presumably has multiple customers and much higher volumes than Intel 4 while N3e is 25% denser than TSMC N3 and Intel 4. So there’s a fair old gap still between TSMC and Intel.

Nothing in a “3nm” chip is 3nm as you well know. It’s pure marketing-speak.

Intel 3 = TSMC N3
Intel 4 = TSMC N4

It is for Intel. It’s virtually the same as TSMCs N4 process which last year’s iPhones were made on so that’s only a year behind the absolute leading edge.

I believe all the equipment is suitable for Intel 3 which is the same as TSMC’s N3E which this year’s iPhones use so it can do that when the demand is there.

But Intel 3 and N3 are the end for FinFET at both places. After that you need the new NA machines, but neither company has those up and running in production.

No it didn’t. But it’s still a European source of state of the art ICs at by far the most advanced fab in Europe. So leading edge ICs are made in Europe whereas your text implied there weren’t any.

Most of the Leixlip money – about $11bn – came from the Apollo private equity group with a much smaller amount – less than $1bn – coming from the Irish government. I’m not sure EC money came into it,