The issues with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's 40nm and 32nm fabrication technologies have caused a massive gloom around the industry in the recent quarters. But according to some optimistic analysts, TSMC plans to finally initiate production of low-power chips using 28nm process technology.

A report from China Economic News Service claims that TSMC plans to start production of Altera's field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in Q4 2010 using a 28nm process technology, which will mostly likely be 28LP, which uses previous-generation materials, such as poly gate and silicon oxide nitrate. Interestingly, but even if optimist market watchers are to be believed, production of 28LP chips seems to be behind the schedule.

According to claims by a senior executive of TSMC back in February, the company intended to start producing chips using 28LP in Q3 2010, not sometimes in the fourth quarter.

“The first node we are going to release for the 28nm will be called the 28LP. This is our poly gate and silicon oxide nitrate version. We will establish production at the end of June this year, about four months from now, and this is for the low power application," said Shang-Yi Chiang, senior vice president of R&D at TSMC at TSMC Japan Executive Forum in Yokohama.

Even though technically TSMC is ahead of all companies making various types of processors or logic in terms of 28nm node, its 28LP process not only uses old materials, but even with this one TSMC is late by one quarter from its own schedule.

TSMC did not comment on the news-story.

Tags: TSMC, Altera, Semiconductor, 28nm