TSMC’s 3-nanometer capacity is expected to reach 180,000 wafer starts monthly in early fourth quarter, ahead of schedule.

TSMC’s 3-nanometer process capacity is expected to increase to 180,000 wafer starts per month in early fourth quarter 2026. This figure refers to monthly wafer input at the fabrication stage, not finished chip output.

The expansion is expected to occur two to three months earlier than previously anticipated. The report attributed the faster schedule to strong orders from major customers including NVIDIA, AMD and Broadcom.

TSMC shares rose more than 2% alongside the report. No source provided a site-by-site allocation of the 180,000 monthly wafer starts or the proportion assigned to each customer.