Core Insights - TSMC's 1.6nm process price may reach $45,000, reflecting a 50% increase, influenced by factors such as R&D investment and production capacity [1] - The trend of rising wafer prices is evident, with historical prices increasing from $2,000 for 90nm in 2004 to nearly $20,000 for 3nm [1] - TSMC's N2 2nm process is set to begin mass production in the second half of this year, with major clients including Apple and AMD [2] - The success rate for first-time chip tape-outs has decreased to 14%, down 10 percentage points from two years ago [3] Group 1 - TSMC's wafer pricing is influenced by client relationships, with Apple receiving preferential pricing compared to other clients like AMD and NVIDIA [1] - The N2 process offers performance improvements of 8-10%, power reductions of 15-20%, and a transistor density increase of 10% compared to previous generations [2] - The upcoming A14 1.4nm process is expected to enhance performance by 10-15%, reduce power consumption by 25-30%, and increase transistor density by 23%, with significant cost implications [2] Group 2 - The semiconductor industry is facing challenges with increasing costs and declining success rates for new chip designs, impacting overall market dynamics [3]