TSMC 1.4nm Fab Ahead, First Building to Finish in April 2027

According to industry sources, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is accelerating the construction of its new advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) Taichung Phase 2 site, which will be dedicated to next-generation 1.4nm process technology. The first fab building is expected to be completed by April 2027, with trial production potentially beginning as early as the third quarter of 2027.

The new facility, internally known as Fab 25, is planned to include four fab buildings. The first two buildings have already been awarded construction contracts to local engineering companies, including Dacin Construction and Mutual Construction, and structural steel work has officially begun.

If construction continues at the current pace, the first fab is expected to enter mass production in mid-2028.

TSMC’s A14 (1.4nm) process represents the company’s next-generation full-node advanced semiconductor technology. The process will adopt second-generation Gate-All-Around (GAA) nanosheet transistor architecture. Compared with TSMC’s N2 (2nm) process, A14 is expected to deliver a 10% to 15% performance improvement at the same power level, reduce power consumption by 25% to 30%, and increase transistor density by 20% to 23%.

The initial A14 process will not include backside power delivery technology. TSMC plans to introduce the A14P variant with Super Power Rail (SPR) backside power technology in 2029. Among the four planned fab buildings, the first two phases are expected to focus on 1.4nm production, while the later two facilities may potentially advance toward 1nm-class process technology.

In terms of investment, TSMC’s new Taichung facility is estimated to require a total investment of approximately US$49 billion. The fab is expected to generate annual revenue exceeding US$15.4 billion and create between 8,000 and 10,000 job opportunities.

Meanwhile, Samsung has reportedly postponed its 1.4nm mass production timeline from 2027 to 2029 as it focuses on improving the yield rate of its 2nm process. Industry analysts believe the delay could encourage TSMC to accelerate its 1.4nm technology deployment and strengthen its leadership position in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.