Process node

A named generation of chip-manufacturing technology; labels like '2 nm' are marketing names, not physical dimensions.

• Each generation shrinks and redesigns transistors and wiring so more fit per area, giving faster or more efficient chips.
• Nothing on a '2 nm' chip is 2 nm wide; gate spacing is still roughly 45–50 nm, and one firm's '3 nm' can match another's '4 nm'.
• A full step now brings roughly 10–15% more speed at equal power, or 25–30% less power at equal speed, far less than in past decades.
• Only TSMC, Samsung and Intel compete at the leading edge, where a single fab costs $20 billion or more.