TSMC unveils surprise A16 node, scheduled for mass production in 2026

TSMC has announced that A16 (1.6nm) chips will enter production in the second half of 2026. The A16 designation comes as a bit of a surprise since so far, A14 was penciled in as the successor of N2. For example, “development of the A14 angstrom platform technology (…) made good progress in 2023,” TSMC’s 2023 annual report – published only a week ago – reads.

Possibly, the foundry doesn’t want to use the same name as Intel, which announced its 14A node in February. It’s not clear whether TSMC’s A14 has been renamed to A16 or simply pushed out.