TSMC VP Boldly Declares: 'I Don't Care' About Moore's Law, Tech Scaling is the Future

In a bold statement, TSMC's VP dismisses Moore's Law as outdated, emphasizing the revolutionary potential of modern tech scaling and 3D chip packaging.

TSMC's Effective Alternatives

TSMC has searched for efficient means of "technology scaling." Thus, the company thinks Moore's Law does not apply to today's markets.

Companies have begun to forge alternative paths to market innovation in recent years, away from reliance on traditions like Moore's Law, as the dynamics of semiconductors undergo considerable change.

If you're not familiar with Moore's Law, you will find that in order to achieve generational performance boosts, one must adhere to a continuous model of "node shrinking" within a specific time frame, WCCFTECH shares. However, companies like TSMC have found better and more sustainable "effective" ways around it.

TSMC Disregards Moore's Law

According to an interview with TSMC's SVP and Deputy Co-COO, Dr. Kevin Zhang, conducted by industry expert Ian Cutress, it was disclosed that TSMC had disregarded the principles set forth by Moore's Law in the semiconductor industry.

The interview also mentioned that the advent of AI has led to a dramatic increase in the scalability of computing power, which is attributed to the techniques and improvements implemented by TSMC in its semiconductor products.

VP Says 'I Don't Care'

In response to a question regarding Moore's Law, an executive from TSMC stated during an interview with More Than Moore:

“Well, my simple answer is - I don't care. As long as we can continue to drive the technology scaling, I don't care if Moore’s Law is alive or dead.

But the reality is that many have narrowly defined Moore’s Law based on two-dimensional scaling - that's no longer the case. As you look at the innovation hype in our industry, we actually continue to find different ways to integrate more functions and more capabilities into smaller form factors.

We continue to achieve a higher level of performance and a higher level of power efficiency. So from that perspective, I think that Moore’s Law, or technology scaling, will continue. We will continue to innovate and carry the industry forward.”

Indeed, this statement confirms that Moore's Law's impact on market form is diminishing with time. This has greatly accelerated the exponential expansion of capabilities since semiconductor companies are hell-bent on cramming "functionalities" into their process nodes.

Concerning the question of whether TSMC's main nodes are "incremental," Zhang stated that their technology plan disproves this notion. He supported this claim by mentioning that TSMC achieved a tremendous 30% gain in energy efficiency during their transition from 5nm to 3nm.

Expanding CoWoS Supply

In addition, Zhang disclosed the current state of TSMC's CoWoS supply, asserting that the Taiwanese behemoth is intent on swiftly expanding its production lines.

With potential for additional growth, the CAGR is currently over 60%. As he puts it, CoWoS is the "workhorse for AI accelerators," and the future looks bright thanks to the constant improvement in this field.