Items tagged with Fab
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is the global leader in [contract] semiconductor production, and the company shows no signs of slowing down. While the bulk of the company's manufacturing capacity resides in its home market of Taiwan, TSMC has initiated construction on a new 5nm fab right here in the United States. TSMC announced the fab back in April 2020, and construction is "well underway" in Phoenix, Arizona. The company's decision to build its new fab in Arizona was undoubtedly sweetened by the city of Phoenix footing the bill for roads and other infrastructure. The infrastructure incentives alone are worth $200 million, and that's not counting any long-term tax incentives that...
Read more...
We reported last week that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is allegedly looking to vastly increase its investments in the United States concerning fab capacity. The company announced its decision to build a $12 billion fab in Arizona in May 2020, and the report alleged that TSMC further committed to building up to six fabs in the state to keep up with rising demand. Now we're learning that TSMC might go a step further by shifting the focus of the already announced Arizona plant from the relatively mature 5nm process node to the more advanced 3nm node. The first products using the 3nm process node are likely a year or more away from shipping in production devices and will be highly...
Read more...
Given the insatiable global demand for computing chips in various sectors, it should come as no surprise that companies are looking to increase their fab capacity. Intel has committed $20 billion to increase chip output, while TSMC is rumored to build up to six new fabs in the United States alone as part of its $100 billion chip expansion plans. Not to be left out, Samsung also announced significant investments for production in South Korea. Samsung originally announced that it would commit 133 trillion won ($117 billion) to fab expansion over the next decade. That investment would include a brand-new manufacturing facility in the Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. However, the South Korean government...
Read more...
Intel is planning a massive expansion to its D1X research and manufacturing site in Oregon as it sets the pieces in the place for a transition to 7-nanometer production. The project is expected to take at least 18 months and cost billions of dollars, and represents a long term outlook for a market that Intel estimates is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. "We are now competing to win in an estimated $300 billion total addressable market for silicon—making a more diverse array of products at ever-higher volumes for a broader set of customers. Intel is not just the CPU inside your personal computer," Intel stated last month when announcing plans to expand its D1X facility Intel said it...
Read more...
With much of the performance computing market sitting on top of 14nm (or similar) nodes, it's time to look to the future. GlobalFoundries is looking past 10nm, as it sees 7nm as the next major step in process technology, and it's not alone. In a new announcement, the semiconductor foundry said that it will be able to deliver 7nm production soon, based on FinFET designs. Complementing that, it'll be able to "significantly" re-use much of the same equipment that was used for 14nm, which is currently being used at its Fab 8 campus in New York. Jim McGregor, founder and principal analyst at TIRIAS Research, said that this was a good move for the foundry. According to McGregor, the move to 10nm simply...
Read more...
Following the philosophy that it takes spending money to make money, Samsung Electronics announced plans to invest around 15.6 trillion won (around $14.7 billion in U.S. currency) to build a new chip manufacturing plant in South Korea. This qualifies as Samsung's biggest investment ever into a single semiconductor plant. Construction of the new facility will begin in the first half of next year in Pyeongtaek, located about 47 miles south of Seoul, and is expected to generate 150,000 jobs, according to Reuters. That's equivalent to around a third of the city's total population. If all goes to plan, the plant will open for business in 2017. Samsung is still deciding whether to use the upcoming...
Read more...
Late last month, the Wall Street Journal leaked news of a partnership with TSMC, in an agreement that put a formal signature on what sources have previously implied was years of behind-the-scenes collaboration. Apple has explored its options with foundry partners that aren't Samsung for several years as its relationship with that company has grown sour. Last year, Apple reportedly attempted to buy a significant stake in a particular fab for a billion dollars, but CEO Morris Chang rebuffed the idea (or at least, the price tag), saying that TSMC preferred to retain flexibility and control of its own technology roadmap. Now there are reports that Apple is considering a similar alliance with GlobalFoundries,...
Read more...
When news broke earlier this week that Apple had finally inked a deal with TSMC to produce processors with the company beginning in 2014, the first round of chatter was on what this might mean for Samsung. Apple, after all, has been by far Samsung's single largest customer. With that topic out of the way, talk has turned to Intel. Once again, the tired rumor that Intel walked away from the manufacturing equivalent of Cibola is being floated across the Internet. At first glance, it makes sense. Intel currently enjoys a hefty lead over every other country in terms of its processor technology. The company has admitted that its fab utilization is as low as 50%, which may be a record. With PC demand...
Read more...
There has been a gas leak at Intel’s plant in Chandler, Arizona, leaving at least 11 people hospitalized with nausea, breathing difficulties, and eye irritation, and a total of 43 that were ill enough to need on-scene treatment. Battalion Chief Tom Dwiggins of the local fire department identified the leak as nitrogen triflouride. Intel shut down the tool that caused the leak, and there is no further danger, according to Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy. Further, the area neighborhoods were not affected, and the plant has resumed operations as normal. "They monitored the air inside and outside the structure and in all cases the air was clean," said Mulloy. Intel's Chandler, AZ campus The Chandler...
Read more...
It's been obvious for weeks that Intel's earnings call this afternoon wasn't going to have much good news in it. With total PC shipments falling 13% quarter-on-quarter -- the worst decline in nearly 20 years -- there was no way Intel would escape being hit by that drop. Today, Santa Clara reported that its Q1 profits fell 25%, to $2B, down from $2.7B in the first quarter of 2012. Gross margins took a hammering, as well, falling to 56.2% from 64% in Q1 2012. Despite these problems, Otellini was upbeat. "“Amidst market softness, Intel performed well in the first quarter and I’m excited about what lies ahead for the company,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. “We...
Read more...
Last month, TSMC's CEO Morris Chang made waves when he suggested that it could make sense for the company to dedicate fabs to particular customers. Fresh reports today, however, suggest that both Apple and TSMC made major bids for exclusivity on future TSMC production facilities, and both were rejected. Does this mean Chang's earlier comments were misinterpreted? No -- but it does demonstrate the difference between what Chang/TSMC is willing to contemplate and what companies like Qualcomm and Apple want. TSMC may be willing to commit full fabs to customer-specific production, but the company isn't going to sign a piece of paper that gives a customer direct control over what happens to those fabs...
Read more...
To celebrate its third anniversary as a chip manufacturing foundry, Globalfoundries over the weekend announced an agreement with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to buy out all remaining shares to achieve full independence. Under the amended agreement, AMD will continue to be one of Globalfoundries' "primary and strategic customers," only without a stake in the foundry, which is now wholly owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). "Today marks the start of a new era for Globalfoundries as it becomes a truly independent foundry," said Globalfoundries CEO Ajit Manocha. "Globalfoundries has a clear vision to be the leading semiconductor foundry partner to AMD and one of the world's...
Read more...
TSMC officially began building its next-generation Fab 15 foundry on Friday. The facility, or 'gigafab' in TSMC parlance, will begin coming online in 2012, long-term capacity is said to be upwards of 100,000 wafer starts a month. In contrast, GlobalFoundries New York facility currently under construction is targeting 60,000 wafer starts / month once in full production. According to TSMC, the new fab has a price tag of some $9.4 billion and will come online with both 40nm and 28nm production nodes. We're guessing TSMC's goal here is to further extend its glowing record as a leading edge node provider—after the company's stellar 40nm rollout and ramp, it'll be a challenge to shaft customers...
Read more...
You know, it's not often we get to bestow upon you words of pure wisdom. Sure, we provide detailed, timely news, product and technology analysis but really, we're not in the business of covering your backside. That's what Moms are for or your personal Wingman or Wingwoman, as the case may be. That said, we'll give you a bit of advice for this fine Friday... If you see a dude dressed up like this and looking seriously pleased about it, coming your way, we'd suggest you run (don't walk) the other way. Let's see if your instincts are in proper attenuation tonight. Can you tell us, who is the MAN in the middle of this fab tour shot?They're like Gangstas but geekier......
Read more...
AMD-derived GlobalFoundries broke ground today on what will become the company's leading-edge manufacturing facility and (according to it, at least) the largest and most technically-advanced fab in the United States. The $4.2 billion facility should start production within two years, and is expected to begin volume production in 2012. Currently, GlobalFoundries predicts the plant will debut using 300mm wafers and 28nm process technology, only to transition to 22nm as it enters volume production. Those numbers frankly seem optimistic. Over the last nine years, it's taken AMD two years or more to launch products at any given node. There were a number of technological issues that had to be overcome...
Read more...
Global Foundries Takes Final Steps Towards Fab 2 Groundbreaking SUNNYVALE, Calif. – June 9, 2009 – GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced it has issued the formal commitment letter to the State of New York for the construction of the Fab 2 project at the Luther Forest Technology Campus (LFTC). The letter officially initiates the construction phase of the Fab 2 project and triggers the State of New York to begin the process of issuing bonds for the payment of reimbursements and incentives to the company for the development of the estimated $4.2 billion semiconductor wafer fabrication facility, or “fab.”“It was three years ago this month that we announced plans to build and operate the most advanced...
Read more...
Early last week, we spent a day or so with a number of representatives from Global Foundries, learning about the company's plans for a new fab that will be built in upstate New York. The name Global Foundries may be unfamiliar to many of you, but the company's origins may not. If you remember back to October 2008, AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) of Abu Dhabi announced the creation of a leading-edge global semiconductor manufacturing company, born from AMD's existing fabrication infrastructure. That company officially became Global Foundries on March 2 of this year.While touring the area in Upstate New York where Global Foundries plans to build its cutting edge fab, we...
Read more...
Early last week, we spent a day or so with a number of representatives from Global Foundries, learning about the company's plans for a new fab that will be built in upstate New York. The name Global Foundries may be unfamiliar to many of you, but the company's origins may not. If you remember back to October 2008, AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) of Abu Dhabi announced the creation of a leading-edge global semiconductor manufacturing company, born from AMD's existing fabrication infrastructure. That company officially became Global Foundries on March 2 of this year. While touring the area in Upstate New York where Global Foundries plans to build...
Read more...
AMD, the Advanced Technology Investment Company and Mubadala Amend Transaction Agreements--Parties to create a leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company at the beginning of 2009-- SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- December 8, 2008 -- AMD (NYSE: AMD), the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) and Mubadala Development Company today announced amendments to the October 6, 2008 transaction agreements for the creation of a leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing joint venture, currently known as “The Foundry Company. The transactions covered by the amended agreements are expected to close at the beginning of 2009.The amendments to the terms between AMD and Mubadala provide for the following: Mubadala...
Read more...
It looks like the rumored spin-off of AMD's manufacturing operations is just hours away now and reports are starting to ping across the wire of a "significant announcement" that AMD CEO Dirk Meyer will be making shortly. In fact, we've been invited to a press web cast at 8AM EST that AMD will hold in the morning. Historically, AMD has taken largely an in-house fabrication model for their wafer fabrication. However, capitalizing this effort is a huge recurring and perpetual investment that frankly only makes sense if there are significant and off-setting economies of scale. As process geometries are being driven hard by AMD's primary competitor,...
Read more...
If you're hungry for news about the future of Intel's pesky little rival, AMD, (we always are) then perhaps you'd go to their spokesman and flat out ask. If you're Business Week, here's the sort of answer you'd get: "AMD continues to look at multiple options that leverage our world-class manufacturing capabilities and relationships to achieve an optimum blend of internal and external operations." Let's play PowerPoint Bingo with that short sentence. Let's see, we've got: multiple options leverage (used as a verb) world-class (fill-in the blank) relationships optimum blend (not referring to coffee) internal and external operations Bingo! They said absolutely nothing. If you substituted "NAZI Germany"...
Read more...
While everyone is still “oooohing” and “ahhhhing” at the raw power and efficiency provided by 45nm chips such as Intel's Penryn lineup, TSMC was looking forward to the next big thing: 40nm.“Following successful tapeouts and customer announcements of its 45nm process technology in 2007, TSMC has moved forward quickly and developed an enhanced 40LP and 40G process that delivers industry-leading performance with 40nm density. The 45nm node provided double the gate density of 65nm, while the new 40nm node features manufacturing innovations that enable its LP and G processes to deliver a 2.35 raw gate density improvement of the 65nm offering. The transition from 45nm to 40nm low power technology reduces...
Read more...
