Intel: The second 45nm factory is being built

The world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer announced yesterday that it will begin construction of its latest wafer processing plant, which will be the second plant unit to produce with a bandwidth of 45 nanometers.

The Fab 28 facility will be operational in the second half of 2008 and will be located in Israel. The $ 3,5 billion investment will begin immediately.

When the Fab 28 is completed, it will be Intel’s seventh plant to process silicon wafers already 300 millimeters in diameter. The facility, with a clean room of approximately 18 square meters, will provide employment for more than 2000 new workers, so of course the Israeli government will also support the investment.

The world's largest semiconductor manufacturer currently operates five 300 mm wafer processing plants in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico and Ireland, the latter of which is currently expanding its capacity, with the resulting Fab 24-2 starting production in the first quarter of next year. .

In July this year, work began on Fab 3, which will cost more than $ 32 billion and will be built in Arizona, and could be completed in the second half of 2007 and will be able to produce with a bandwidth of 45nm.

Plants processing state-of-the-art 300 mm diameter silicon wafers are able to operate much more efficiently and economically than previous users of 200 mm. In addition to more efficient use of silicon, the cost of machining is also significantly lower, a chip can be produced using about 40 percent less energy.

As you can see, Intel’s amazing economic power is well demonstrated as we talk about the company’s current and future facilities. Competitor AMD is just now starting its second processor plant, and the current plant is still working with 200mm wafers.