The solar cell sector in China has swiftly shifted from P-type PERC to N-type TOPCon technology over the past two years, leading to an oversupply situation. The industry’s woes were mirrored at the recently concluded International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Conference & Exhibition in Shanghai, which turned into a venue for desperate sales tactics and debt collection struggles.

The visit of top Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) executives to Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML in late May had many media speculating whether TSMC will soon use High NA Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment for advanced semiconductor processes to maintain its leadership in chip foundry industry.

The global IC design industry and major technology companies reportedly plan to adopt 3nm as their mainstay in 2024. It is expected that most companies will likely prioritize ordering from TSMC, potentially widening the market share gap even further between TSMC and Samsung Electronics in the wafer foundry sector.