TSMC’s 2027 3nm and 2nm Expansion Plans Revealed

According to Taiwan media outlet Economic Daily, citing supply chain sources, TSMC is continuing to accelerate the expansion of its advanced process capacity, with new targets for 2nm and 3nm production reportedly emerging for next year.

TSMC’s monthly 3nm wafer capacity reached approximately 120,000 to 130,000 wafers by the end of last year and is expected to increase to around 180,000 wafers by the end of 2026. Although 3nm is no longer TSMC’s most advanced process node following the ramp-up of 2nm mass production, demand for 3nm chips remains strong. The company is therefore expected to continue expanding 3nm capacity, with monthly output potentially exceeding 210,000 wafers by mid-2027. This would represent a 16% increase within six months and nearly a 70% capacity increase over the 18 months from the end of 2025 to mid-2027.

For 2nm production, supply chain sources indicate that TSMC’s monthly capacity is expected to reach approximately 90,000 wafers by the end of 2026 and increase to 110,000 wafers by mid-2027, representing a 22% increase over six months.

TSMC previously said its 2026 capital expenditure would range from $60 billion to $64 billion, with approximately 70% to 80% allocated to advanced process technologies. The company is adding three new 3nm fabs in Taiwan, Arizona in the United States, and Japan. In Taiwan, TSMC is also continuing to convert existing 5nm equipment to support additional 3nm capacity.

Beyond 2nm, TSMC is also advancing the development of next-generation process technologies, including A16, A14, A13, and A12. The company recently announced a collaboration with ASML to advance High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (High-NA EUV) lithography and transition from the current 6-inch reticles to larger 12-inch reticles.

Meanwhile, Belgium-based microelectronics research center imec recently announced that, together with ASML and materials companies, it had successfully demonstrated single-exposure patterning of metal lines with a 22nm pitch using High-NA EUV. This further reduced the pitch from the previously demonstrated 28nm level.

The demonstration also validated several complex structures that more closely resemble those used in actual chip designs. The results indicate that mature chemically amplified resist (CAR) technologies could potentially be extended to future angstrom-generation nodes such as A14 and A10, supporting selected critical metal and via layers.