Intel Antes Up $3B for New Wafer Fab

Larger wafers and smaller linewidth What is the chip, which has been since today is not much different. Intel Corporation announced this week that it will build a new wafer fabrication plant - the so-called "factory" - Chandler, Arizona This will enable the full 300-mm silicon chip just linewidth 45 nm.

It promises to be a complex project.

"[New fab is], the modern equivalent of building the pyramids, but 24 months," Bob said Baker, senior vice president of Intel Corporation Technology and Manufacturing Group. "This will be the first time we have a high volume of facilities for the 45-nanometer [technology]," he added.

Total cost will be in the vicinity of 30 billion dollars, the plant will support about 1,000 new jobs.

New plant, to begin operation in late 2007, will be Intels first volume production fabs, the 45-nanometer chips, its sixth factory production 300 mm wafers, according to Intels chief executive officer. Finished facilities - known as fabs 32 - will be a total of 1 million square feet 1 84,000 square meters feet of clean room space.

The move to 300-mm wafer manufacturing technology on behalf of the Company may turn out than double the number of chips half the fab, according to Intels statement. The larger wafer is about 12 inches, as opposed to 200 mm in diameter wafers, which are approximately 8-inch spread. This means that the 300-mm wafer 225% of the space than smaller wafers.

Large wafers lower production costs per unit, and use fewer resources.

Intel, the new fab will use 40 percent less energy and water per unit more than 200 mm wafer fab.

45-nanometer technology is two generations ahead of todays 90-nanometer chips. Intel will start to produce chips using 65-nanometer technology, later this year, Baker said.

Executives at the Santa Clara, California-based Intel said the company will also 105 million US dollars of investment dollars into an existing fab new idle Mexico a component temporary test facility. The project will provide an additional testing capabilities, the companys factory network for the next two years, and result is increased 300 jobs , in the New Mexico site during this period.