Orders for the N2 process officially kick off today, and as always, the Fruity Cargo Cult Apple is first in line, drooling over the chance to buy into the new gate-all-around (GAA) transistor tech and make itself look relevant again. 

FINFET is being turfed out, and in comes nanosheets, promising better performance and efficiency—but no backside power delivery network (BPDN) this year. TSMC’s version, dubbed “Super Power Rail,” is being saved for the 1.6nm-class node in 2026, when the gloves come off with Chipzilla’s PowerVia-equipped 18A.

Fab 22 will join Fab 20 near Baoshan in cranking out N2 wafers, with output projections for end-2025 ranging from 30,000 to 80,000 per month, depending on who you ask. TSMC, predictably, is saying sod all about exact figures, though each wafer’s rumoured to go for around $30,000.

According to the Taipei Times, the whole show could drum up at least 7,000 tech jobs, serving as both economic engine and political signal. 

TSMC’s $45 billion investment appears to represent a signal to Taiwan of TSMC’s commitment. In recent years, TSMC has taken major steps to expand its production facilities beyond Taiwan, including its US Fab. That facility, known as Fab 21, currently produces chips using older-generation technology. But with Taiwan recently clearing policy hurdles to TSMC bringing its newest tech to its outside fabs, it makes sense that the company would want to let Taiwan know it isn’t forgetting its roots.