Semiconductor giants race to make next generation of cutting-edge chips

For decades, chipmakers have sought to make ever more compact products — the smaller the transistors on a chip, the lower the energy consumption and the higher their speed

The world’s leading semiconductor companies are racing to make so-called “2 nanometre” processor chips that will power the next generation of smartphones, data centres and artificial intelligence.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company remains the analysts’ favourite to maintain its global supremacy in the sector, but Samsung Electronics and Intel have identified the industry’s next leap forward as a chance to close the gap.