TSMC Executive Says AI Cannot Replace Human Judgment in Next Generation Chipmaking

TSMC co-COO Y. J. Mii said AI is useful for coding and chip design but cannot independently solve the hardest problems in developing future process nodes such as A14 and beyond 1.4nm, where no historical data exists to train models. He compared today's AI to a "three-year-old Superman" and said final decisions must remain with humans.

• Mii: AI suits tasks with clear inputs and outputs, such as coding and EDA-based chip design
• Future A14 and sub-1.4nm nodes need new materials and equipment with no data to learn from
• AI cannot remove physical limits of existing equipment; experiments and discovery remain essential
• He also flagged risks of leaking confidential TSMC technical data to AI systems