SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) on April 22, 2026, unveiled its A13 process technology at its 2026 North America Technology Symposium. The A13 process represents a direct shrink of TSMC's A14 node, which was announced in 2025, and is designed to provide 6% area savings compared to the A14. This new technology is intended to meet the growing computational demands of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), and mobile applications.
The A13 process utilizes nanosheet transistors and maintains full backward compatibility with A14 design rules, facilitating customer migration. It is scheduled to enter production in 2029, one year after the A14. In addition to A13, TSMC also previewed A12, an enhancement to the A14 platform featuring Super Power Rail technology for backside power delivery, also slated for 2029 production. The company further introduced N2U, an advancement of its 2nm platform, offering 3-4% speed gains or 8-10% power reduction and a 1.02-1.03x logic density improvement from N2P, with production scheduled for 2028.
In advanced packaging, TSMC is currently producing 5.5-reticle size Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) technology and plans for a 14-reticle size version by 2028. This larger version will be capable of integrating approximately 10 large compute dies and 20 High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) stacks. An expansion beyond 14 reticles is planned for 2029.
Separately, TSMC executives confirmed plans to open a chip packaging plant in Arizona by 2029. Kevin Zhang, TSMC's Senior Vice President of Global Business Development and Deputy Co-COO, stated that the facility would establish crucial CoWoS and 3D-IC packaging capabilities. This strategic move aims to address the supply bottleneck for advanced AI chips and provide more localized services for U.S. clients, including companies like Apple and Nvidia. Construction for the Arizona packaging plant is already underway. While TSMC targets a 2029 operational timeline, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) provider Amkor Technology plans to begin its own local production in Arizona by early 2028, a timeline earlier than TSMC's. TSMC and Amkor Technology have ongoing discussions regarding technological collaboration.