The company has claimed that it would start risk production of integrated circuits using its 7nm process technology in 2017. This will mean that mass production of commercial 7nm products will likely begin in 2018, about a year after the start of risk production.

The company started to develop its 7nm fabrication technology in early 2014 and claims it has developed the majority of key elements of the new manufacturing process.

It has begun its 7nm design and technology collaboration activity with several of its major customers. Such collaborations help to ensure that TSMC's fabrication processes deliver what its clients need.

Mark Liu, TSMC president and co-CEO told hacks that TSMC;s 7nm technology developments were well in progress.
"TSMC's 7nm technology will leverage most of the tools used in 10nm, in the meantime achieve a new generation of technology value to our customers. The 7nm technology risk production date is targeted at early 2017."

It will continue to use immersion tools with innovative multiple patterning techniques at 7nm node and is evaluating usage of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to reduce complexity and manufacturing costs.

Lu said that the EUV technology provides not only some cost benefit, but also simplified the process.
"You can replace multiple layers with one layer that helps your yield improvement. So there is opportunity both in quality and cost always exist so long as EUV's productivity comes to the threshold point."