Taiwan’s lead in advanced chips will speed up computers, phones while turning heads in China
- Semiconductor manufacturing looks to make a big leap forward in the coming three years, but US-led restrictions on exports to China could pose a ‘long-term challenge’
- Analysts expect companies such as Apple, Qualcomm and MediaTek to place the initial orders with Taiwan’s TSMC for highly advanced 2-nanometre chips

Mainland China could find itself left behind as many of the world’s personal computers and cellphones receive a big bump in processing power over the coming few years, while Taiwan’s economy stands to reap a massive windfall from trade with the West.
And some industry experts expect that edge to extend so fast that mainland China will be studying it for ways to compete technologically with Western countries that rely on tech from the self-ruled island.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) says it will begin mass-producing top-end 2-nanometre chips at its facilities south of Taipei in 2025. CEO C.C. Wei reported “good” progress at an October earnings conference for TSMC, which is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of chips.
