Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)는 2028년까지 고급 chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) 패키징 용량을 두 배로 확대해 AI 칩 부족에 대응할 계획이다.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is expected to double its chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) capacity from 2026 levels to approximately 260,000 wafers per month by the end of 2028, according to a recent report from Taiwanese media. Currently, TSMC's CoWoS capacity is projected to reach 130,000 wafers per month by the end of this year. CoWoS is the leading packaging technology for AI GPUs and is widely used by major firms including NVIDIA.

The capacity expansion will focus on TSMC's production facilities at its Arizona campus and the AP7 facility in Taiwan. Although TSMC's Arizona site is capable of producing the latest chip products, these must be shipped to Taiwan for packaging, as all of the company's packaging capacity is currently located on the island.

The shortage of TSMC's CoWoS technology has led to increased interest in alternative packaging solutions and suppliers. One notable alternative is Intel's EMIB-T (Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge). The two technologies differ significantly in their architecture: EMIB-T uses bridges—pathways and circuits—placed inside the organic substrate, above which logic and memory chips are mounted. In contrast, CoWoS relies on an interposer containing through silicon vias (TSVs) to facilitate communication between memory and logic chips. The higher density of TSVs in CoWoS enables greater bandwidth and lower latency, making it particularly suitable for high-power AI chips.

Analysts quoted in the report suggest that Intel's EMIB-T capacity, when converted to CoWoS-equivalent 12-inch wafers, could reach between 15,000 and 20,000 wafers per month in 2027, and between 40,000 and 45,000 wafers per month in 2028. EMIB-T's architecture makes it more suitable for custom AI chips designed by companies such as Google and Amazon.

The CoWoS shortage has also benefited other packaging companies, driving increased demand for services from Amkor, UMC, and ASE.