7 Nm, A Quantitative Word That Came Back Into The Limelight Overnight With The Release Of Huawei's Mate 60 Series.

All are 7nm, what's the difference between TSMC, Samsung, Intel and SMIC's?

Although all of these companies produce chips on the 7-nanometer process, there are some differences between them.

1. Process technology: TSMC and Samsung each use a different 7nm process technology. TSMC uses the CLN7FF (7nm FinFET) process, while Samsung uses the 7LPP (7nm Low Power Plus) process. Intel, on the other hand, uses a 10nm process, but its performance is comparable to other vendors' 7nm processes. SMIC's current main process is 14nm and is working on a 7nm process.

2. Performance and Power Consumption: There may be differences in performance and power consumption between different companies' 7nm processes. TSMC's 7nm process has better performance and power consumption, while Samsung's 7LPP process focuses on low power consumption. Intel's 10nm process is comparable to other vendors' 7nm processes in terms of performance and power consumption.

3. Production capacity: TSMC and Samsung have strong capacity in 7nm chip production, while Intel is relatively weak in 10nm process capacity. SMIC has not yet started mass production of 7nm chips.

4. Customer base: TSMC and Samsung provide foundry services for many well-known chip design companies, such as Apple, Qualcomm, and NVIDIA. Intel mainly produces processors of its own design. SMIC has a relatively small customer base and mainly provides services to domestic companies.

5. Technology development: TSMC and Samsung have been developing chip process technology at a relatively fast pace and have begun to develop more advanced 5-nanometer and 3-nanometer processes. Intel has experienced some difficulties in the development of its 10-nanometer process, but is still trying to catch up. SMIC is relatively lagging behind in technology development, but is investing more to upgrade its technology.

In conclusion, although the chips produced by these companies all belong to the 7-nanometer process, there are some differences in process technology, performance, power consumption, production capacity, customer base and technology development.TSMC went from 16nm to 10nm to 7nm in 3 years. Samsung went from 14nm to 10nm to 7nm in 5 years. In contrast, SMIC is proud to have achieved the 7nm milestone in only 2 years, and to have done so without the advanced equipment and technology of the West.