TSMC may not have been entirely unscathed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted production and chilled end-market demand, but the outlook of for the foundry's advanced manufacturing processes remains robust, with its 5nm node on track to start volume production in second-quarter 2020. The server sector has also seen robust orders thanks to the pandemic that is fueling demand for support for stay-at-home needs. Server assemblers say they will have significant shipments in second-quarter 2020. But the handset supply chain is having a much harder time. Production capacity in China may have been resumed, but Chinese handset vendors have seen a quick chill in demand from overseas markets.
TSMC on track to ramp 5nm chip production: TSMC is on track to move 5nm process technology to volume production in second-quarter 2020 as scheduled, and continues to see the process capacity fully booked despite recent speculation claiming that the foundry has been requested by Apple to defer production of its next-generation A-series chips, according to industry sources.
Server assemblers continue enjoying strong orders though IC designers see slowdown: Though IC design houses have recently seen demand from US-based datacenter clients slow down, server makers continue to enjoy strong orders from such clients, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
Pandemic hurting handset supply and demand: The fast spreading coronavirus pandemic is hurting both supply and demand of the global handset industry. China's supply chain makers face the harsh reality of having fewer or even no orders while still trying hard to resume their production capacities undercut by the pandemic.
