Micron targets NY for megafab; IBM in NY; ST to build SiC fab in Italy; Samsung Foundry certifies EDA tools; KLA to build R&D center in Wales; Apple moves some production to India.
Micron selected Syracuse, New York as the site for its new megafab complex, which is expected to create 9,000 company jobs and 40,000 construction and supply chain jobs. President Biden called it “another win for America.” The chip manufacturing facility will be the nation’s largest, including a 7.2 million square foot complex and 2.4 million square foot of cleanroom. Site preparation will start in 2023, construction will begin in 2024, and production output will ramp in the latter half of the decade. Micron will receive $5.5 billion in incentives from the state of New York and anticipates federal grants and tax credits from the CHIPS and Science Act.
STMicroelectronics plans to build a €730 million ($728 million) silicon carbide wafer plant in Italy, the first such project approved as part of a European Union drive to bring more chip production closer to home.
IBM plans to invest over $20 billion in the Hudson Valley region in New York over the next ten years for semiconductors, computers, hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence and quantum computers.
In Japan, Micron will receive a subsidy of up to ¥46.5 billion ($320 million) to make advanced memory chips at its Hiroshima plant. Meanwhile, the company cut overall investments by 30% amid lower demand for PCs and smart phones.
Samsung Foundry certified Siemens EDA‘s Aprisa solution for the foundry’s advanced 4nm finFET technology node. Samsung’s advanced 3nm process technology now also supports Siemens’ entire Calibre nmPlatform tool. This collaboration has produced multiple successful test chip tapeouts on Synopsys’ digital and custom design tools and flows.
KLA will build a new research-and-development (R&D) and manufacturing center for its SPTS Division, in Newport, Wales, UK. The company is expected to invest more than $100 million in the 200,000 square foot facility. The site will include manufacturing, cleanrooms, storage, and support facilities, and accommodate up to 750 employees.
Apple is asking suppliers to move some AirPods and Beats headphone production to India for the first time. The move is part of Apple’s gradual diversification from China, as it looks to lower the risk of supply chain disruptions.
The Biden administration is preparing new export controls, including targeting high-end memory-chip manufacturing capabilities and advanced components, as well as potentially quantum computing, according to the Wall Street Journal. The administration reportedly has been trying to line up key allies behind the effort.
The National Institute for Innovation and Technology (NIIT) announced the United States’ first Semiconductor Competency Standard (SCS). NIIT will use the SCS as it partners with companies and states across the nation to develop Registered Apprenticeships in the nanotechnology and semiconductor industry.
The funding application process for the CHIPS and Science Act will be announced in February 2023. TECHCET suggests the government wants companies to have “ready-to-go” expansion plans so that there is a clear pathway and benefit for any monetary support. Companies should consider having detailed plans for new facilities already laid out, including having land already pinpointed or purchased, and showing progress already made with state and local government.
The human brain is the model behind the development of the first ionic IC by a team of researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and DNA Script, a biotech startup. The ionic chip containing hundreds of transistors performed a core process of neural net computing.
Advantest issued a call for papers for its VOICE 2023 Developer Conference, slated for May 9-10 in Santa Clara, CA. It will focus on leading-edge technologies and future trends in 5G/millimeter wave, high-performance digital test, test methodologies, factory automation, and other topics. The conference invites sharing among test professionals at OEMs, foundries, fabless suppliers, and OSATs.
The American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition (ASIC) hosted a two-day summit in Albany to build on its previously released vision for a proposed National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP). During the summit, ASIC leaders discussed and further developed specific plans for the organization’s governance, intellectual property, and education and workforce development.
SkyWater will host a roundtable at Purdue to discuss collaboration models for building comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem in Indiana.
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