TSMC's first 1.4nm chip facility ahead of schedule, initial investment could be close to $50B

TSMC is reportedly ahead of schedule with its next-gen 1.4nm process node, where it will break ground on the new semiconductor fab with an initial investment that could reach $49 billion.

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In a new report from Economic Daily News, we're hearing that TSMC suppliers have been informed of the changed plans, just in case things need to be expedited in order to kick off 1.4nm production. TSMC's new "Fab 25" semiconductor facility will be built at the Central Taiwan Science Park which is located near Taichung City, with Fab 25 to comprise of four different plants, with the first plant undergoing trial production towards the tail end of 2027.

TSMC could move into full-scale production of its next-gen 1.4nm process node (A14) in the second half of 2028, with the new 1.4nm node promising a 15% improvement in performance, and a larger 30% in power efficiency. TSMC's other three plants will also be working on the new 1.4nm wafer production, with the report saying TSMC is looking at an even more advanced lithography of 1nm, which we've previously reported would be unleashed in 2029.

The new 1.4nm process isn't going to be cheap, as the $30,000-per-wafer costs of its 2nm node were expensive, we could see prices of $45,000 or more per wafer for its new A14 chips.