TSMC teases 2023 tech: 12-stack next-gen HBM on next-gen GPUs

TSMC has revealed some exciting stuff during its 2020 Technology Symposium, teasing its projections of its new CoWoS-S packaging technology.

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This has allowed designers to come in and make gigantic, super-fast designs with bigger and bigger logic dies and layered stacks of HBM memory. One of the restrictions in pushing things even higher, and even crazier, is the interpose size limitation.

TSMC has said that it expects to have 4x reticle size in 2023 -- something that will enable 12 HBM stacks. Micron will have its HBMnext memory available in late 2022, which should super-power some next-gen GPUs and HPC systems with some truly mind-blowing memory bandwidth.

Micron recently teased its next-gen HBMnext memory, which will succeed HBM2e and is expected to "enter the market toward the end of 2022" according to Micron. HBMnext will be available in 4H/8Gb and 8H/16GB densities with data rates pushing 3.2Gb/s or higher (in comparison, HBM2 is 2.4Gb/s, HBM2e is at 2.0Gb/s.

AnandTech points out that a 12-stack implementation with the "currently fastest HBM2E Samsung Flashbolt 3200MT/s modules would represent at least 4.92TB/s of memory bandwidth, which is multitudes faster than even the most complex designs today".

Now that is incredibly exciting.

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• TSMC could move beyond silicon for sub-3nm: TSMC said that it is working to define the next node that will follow N3, teasing that it is looking at nanosheets and nanowires as beyond silicon materials. The company is also looking at high mobility channels, 2D transistors, and carbon nanotubes for future tech.
• Research into 'materials BEYOND silicon' began in 2019: Yeah, this isn't new -- TSMC kick started its research into materials beyond silicon in 2019, where they announced a new R&D facility in Taiwan that would be creating what would be some of the most next level technology on this planet.

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More reading about TSMC:

• TSMC is opening up a next-gen 5nm fab in the USA thanks to President Trump
• TSMC has a $16 billion slush fund for R&D
• TSMC is planning 5nm volume production in late 2020
• 3nm is planned for trial production in first half of 2021
• EUV lithography will be used for TSMC's new 2nm node
• TSMC market cap hits record level, now beating NVIDIA and Samsung
• TSMC super-charges R&D of its next-gen 2nm node
• TSMC rumored to build bleeding edge silicon plant in the US, 5nm first
• The White House talking with Intel, TSMC to set up factories in the US
• NVIDIA, AMD purchase ALL excess capacity at TSMC for next-gen GPU/CPUs
• TSMC sparks research into materials BEYOND silicon
• TSMC makes progress on 5nm, should have 5nm chips in 2020