TSMC unveils 1.4nm chip as Samsung Foundry struggles to catch up

The race for the future of chips is intensifying, and TSMC 1.4nm chip is the latest bold move in the competition. But the real question is: can Samsung catch up?

Taiwan’s TSMC just took the wraps off its most ambitious technology yet—the TSMC 1.4nm chip, or A14 node. The announcement was made at its 2025 North America Technology Symposium, and the message was loud and clear: TSMC isn’t just holding its lead, it’s extending it.

What’s new with the A14 process?

Let’s get into the tech. TSMC’s A14 process marks a full-node jump from its 2nm N2 technology. It’s based on second-generation gate-all-around (GAA) nanosheet transistors, bringing big improvements in power efficiency, performance, and logic density.

Here’s what A14 delivers:

• Up to 15% faster performance at the same power

• Up to 30% power reduction at the same performance

• 20–23% increase in logic density, depending on design complexity

• A 1.23x overall transistor density gain compared to N2

• NanoFlex Pro design technology, offering more transistor-level flexibility than the original NanoFlex used in earlier nodes

A14 is aimed directly at improving AI and edge computing performance, while also enabling remote AI processing on PCs and smartphones.

You can think of A14 as the chip world’s equivalent of moving from a sports car to a high-performance electric race car—faster, cooler, and more efficient, but also built for tomorrow’s terrain.

A tale of two foundries: TSMC vs Samsung

While TSMC is surging ahead, Samsung Foundry is still working through challenges on its existing nodes. It originally aimed to begin 1.4nm production in 2027, but reports now suggest delays. The company is focusing its resources on refining its 2nm and 3nm GAA processes, which haven’t exactly delivered a knockout punch.

Samsung’s 3nm GAA has struggled with yield and performance, failing to win major design wins. “The lack of significant orders is forcing the company to burn through cash,” reports say. Its current 2nm yield is at 30%, which is far behind TSMC’s 60% test yields on the same node.

Will A14 deliver backside power delivery?

Not at first. The initial A14 version won’t feature backside power delivery (BSPDN), which helps reduce power loss by delivering electricity from the back of the chip. However, TSMC plans to roll out a backside power variant (A14P) in 2029. This will better serve high-performance computing and data center applications.

TSMC’s advanced packaging strategy is also evolving, though the company hasn’t fully detailed how this will integrate with A14. What we do know is that the process will support design technology co-optimization (DTCO) through NanoFlex Pro, offering chip designers more control over power, performance, and area (PPA) trade-offs.

Why does this matter?

TSMC supplies chips to the likes of Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. These clients need bleeding-edge performance to power the next generation of AI, smartphones, and data centers. And they don’t wait around.

As the global chip race intensifies—especially in light of U.S.-China trade tensions—TSMC’s ability to stay on schedule with A14 could secure more high-value contracts and push its market dominance even further.

“A14 is our full-node next-generation advanced silicon technology,” said Kevin Zhang, TSMC’s SVP of business development. “This is a very, very substantial technology.”

What’s next?

TSMC expects to ramp up A14 production by 2028, likely in the first half of the year, to align with chip launches later that year. The full lineup may include variants like A14X (max performance) and A14C (cost-optimized), though details are under wraps for now.

In contrast, Samsung’s timeline remains hazy. Without clear momentum in the 3nm and 2nm space, its vision for 1.4nm may remain more aspirational than achievable—at least for now.

And as chip complexity grows, so too does the importance of early and stable manufacturing. For the industry’s biggest players, choosing TSMC could be the safest bet in an uncertain tech landscape.