TSMC says ‘A16’ chipmaking tech to arrive in 2026, setting up showdown with Intel

SANTA CLARA: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co said on Wednesday that a new chip manufacturing technology called “A16” will enter production in the second half of 2026, setting up a showdown with longtime rival Intel over who can make the world’s fastest chips.

TSMC, the world’s biggest contract manufacturer of advanced computing chips and a key supplier to Nvidia and Apple, announced the news at a conference in Santa Clara, California, where TSMC executives said that makers of AI chips will likely be the first adopters of the technology rather than a smartphone maker.