KLA’s chief financial officer Bren Higgins told analysts: “We now see that TSMC N2 nodes are being designed by about 15 customers, about ten of which are from the high-speed computing field, which is very demanding on performance.”

The admission is the first time anyone in the industry has put a number on TSMC’s 2nm customer list. The Taiwanese foundry hasn’t bothered to comment yet, though speculation is rife that Apple, MediaTek, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Google, Broadcom, Amazon, Marvell, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI are all circling. Basically, if a big-name tech company is building AI kit, it probably wants in on TSMC’s 2nm.

It is now looking like 2nm uptake could dwarf 3nm, helped by sharper pricing and demand from the HPC mob.

Chairman Wei Zhejia has already bragged that “the demand for 2nm will surpass its previous generation process, and it is expected to provide the company with a stable business foundation and sustainable growth within five years.”

TSMC’s initial production lines will sprawl across four fabs in Hsinchu, Baoshan and Kaohsiung. By 2026, monthly output is expected to hit 10,000 wafers. Compared with 3nm, the 2nm process promises 24 to 35 per cent lower power draw at the same voltage, or up to 15 per cent higher performance. Transistor density is also said to rise by 1.15 times.

TSMC stock closed yesterday at a record NT$1,295 (€37.4), up NT$30, lifting its market cap to NT$33.58 trillion (€967 billion). Its ADRs in the US gained 1.8 per cent in early trading.