When looking at rumors/leaks like this I think it's a good idea to revisit what we know.
Thanks to David we know TSMC 7nm HPC 7.5T density is 67 MTr/mm2.
David Schor
67 MTr/mm2 and a 62nm pp (but I can't formally confirm the CPP value as it's behind NDA for now).
https://twitter.com/david_schor/status/1035716476836229120
TSMC set another industry record by launching two separate 7nm FinFET tracks: one optimized for mobile applications, the other for high performance computing applications.
http://www.tsmc.com/csr/en/update/innovationAndService/caseStudy/9/index.html
N7 HPC track provides 13% speed over N7 mobile (7.5T vs 6T), while it has passed the yield and qual tests (SRAM, FEOL, MEOL, BEOL) and MP-ready D0.
https://www.semiwiki.com/forum/content/7439-tsmc-technologies-mobile-hpc.html
TSMC Tips 7+, 12, 22nm Nodes
EUV rolls into 7+nm node in 2018
By Rick Merritt,
03.16.17 (note the date)
The 7nm HPC platform includes a new design flow being released in June as well as enhanced IP and process optimizations. It drove an ARM A72 to more than 4 GHz. The platform also supports on-chip magnetic inductors to create integrated voltage regulators.
The HPC platform includes high performance transistors that deliver a five percent speed gain over the vanilla 7nm process. Interestingly, TSMC described several techniques driving advances of 4-5 percent across various processes, suggesting the foundry is squeezing out gains wherever it can find them. An automotive variant of the 7nm process will be ready next year.
And keep this side note in mind.
Finally, TSMC will deliver late this year a machine-learning capability for limited functions on ARM A72 and A73 cores. The capabilities include predicting optimal cell clock-gating to bolster overall chip speeds 50-150 MHz.
The techniques use training models maintained by TSMC using open source algorithms such as Caffe. Designers will be able to create custom scripts they keep privately. Ultimately the service will span more processor types and functions.
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331489&page_number=3
Confirmation from TSMC 6 months later.
TSMC Assists Customers to Improve First-time Silicon Success
2017 Open Innovation Platform® Ecosystem Forum Demonstrated the Achievements of Collaboration with Partners
Jason S.T. Chen
2017/9/13
For HPC Design Enablement Platform, TSMC further enhanced 7nm and 7nm+_ in process and design solutions to support HPC speed and memory bandwidth requirements. TSMC has demonstrated a 4Ghz ARM core and provided the first Cache Coherence Interconnect for Accelerator (CCIX) silicon demonstration vehicle in 7nm process technology with Xilinx, Arm and Cadence.
Through machine learning, TSMC design enablement platforms produce optimized design constraints and EDA tool scripts, while supporting customers to best utilize the commercial EDA tools from our OIP ecosystem partners.
This collaboration model enables TSMC and our OIP ecosystem partners to focus on our respective strengths, while creating synergy to team up and bring machine learning innovation to the whole design community.
http://www.tsmc.com/csr/en/update/innovationAndService/caseStudy/4/index.html
TSMC Updates its Silicon Menu
First 7-nm chips, EUV migration described
By Rick Merritt,
09.14.17
Separately, TSMC reported progress using machine learning to achieve gains such as better route groupings in ARM A72 and A53 cores delivering up to 12% performance gains after synthesis. The foundry will release software scripts at the end of the year that its customers can use as a starting point on their own efforts to eke out more advances.
Cadence is applying machine learning in both verification and its Innovus place-and-route tools, said Anirudh Devgan, who manages two of the company’s divisions. “There are a lot of things that can be done using machine learning,” he said, noting 12% improvements in a 10-nm design.
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332293&page_number=2
What do we know about the A72?
The A72 sees an even more significant reduction when using a modern FinFET process, such as TSMC’s 16nm FinFET+, where an A72 core stays within a 750mW power envelope at 2.5GHz, according to ARM.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/arm-cortex-a72-architecture,4424.html#p2
So, using 7nm HPC, 7.5T, TSMC was able to push an A72 over 4GHz. Utilizing A.I. we could see a 12% gain in performance depending on individual efforts made by customers using these tools. ~4GHz X 1.12 = 4.48Ghz
This is TSMC's 16/12nm compared to it's on 7nm HPC. What we have now is GlobalFoundries 14/12nm process. TSMC's 16/12nm cells are a little larger than GlobalFoundries 14/12nm cell size. So, we don't have an apples to apples comparison to make. I can "guess" that TSMC 7nm will be a better process than GlobalFoundries 14/12nm. Based on the information I would guess around 4.5 GHz.