【Market Commentary】Regarding IC evolution, significant technology scaling took place with the 32/28nm HKMG process about a decade ago, as Intel led the way commercially with the first 45nm HKMG process in 2007. Due to its oligopolistic supply, HKMG used to be among most profitable technologies.
TrendForce believes that the mega trend of digital transformation is generating a tremendous demand for 28/22nm capacities with products such as OLED, CIS, ISP, RF, T-CON, STB, DTV, WiFi, Ethernet and automotive MCU.
Apart from TSMC, UMC, GlobalFoundries, Samsung, and SMIC are also expanding their 28/22nm capacities to meet high demand. In spite of geopolitical issues, the return on investment of the 28/22nm nodes depends on customers and markets. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
