chips

TSMC always said that making chips in the US was more expensive than doing it in Taiwan. His Arizona plant denies it

by

Morris Chang is not infallible. No one is. This veteran Taiwanese engineer formed in the US is One of the most respected experts in the global semiconductor industry. After all, he founded TSMC at a historic moment, 1987, in which Taiwan occupied a very discreet position in the integrated circuit production market. His cunning is undeniable. After all, objectively has made very successful decisions at the head of TSMC. However, their forecasts are not always accurate. And is that on several occasions He has pointed out publicly That the production costs of their plants located outside of Taiwan will double in the future, which will have a direct impact on the price of the chips. This increase is a consequence of the increase in the price of energy, of the cost derived from workers’ salaries and the impact that inflation is having on the price of essential raw materials. Processing a wafer in Arizona costs TSMC less than 10% more than doing it in Taiwan In mid -April 2024 CC Wei, the executive who at that time held the reins of TSMC, clarified Morris Chang’s statements anticipating that the increase in costs derived from the manufacture of integrated avant -garde circuits in the plants that the company has outside of Taiwan would be assumed by both TSMC and its customers: “If my client wants to manufacture in a specific area (outside of Taiwan) then definitely TSMC and the client himself will have to share the increase in costs (…) We are already discussing it with our customers.” The performance of a lithographic node is crucial because it reflects its valid chip production capacity Chang and Wei’s statements have caused many analysts in the integrated circuit industry to follow the steps that this company has in Phoenix (Arizona) very closely. This avant -garde chips factory We were surprised in October 2024 When Rick Cassidy, the president of the TSMC American division, confirmed that its initial production performance had surpassed that of the comparable factories that TSMC has in Taiwan. The performance of a lithographic node is crucial because it reflects its valid chip production capacity, so that a high performance has a very beneficial impact on the competitiveness of semiconductor manufacturers. What was not yet clear was if the cost derived from the production of these semiconductors was perceptibly higher than that of comparable chips manufactured in Taiwan. Now an interesting report of Techinsightsthe respected Canadian analysis company that revealed that Huawei and SMIC had managed to produce Integrated 7 Nm circuitsshed light on this matter. According to G. Dan Hutcheson, Techinsight’s analyst signed by the article, producing a 300 mm wafer on his new Arizona plant costs TSMC less than 10% more than manufacturing that same wafer in one of its Taiwan facilities. It is explained by something that we should not overlook: the cost derived from labor represents less than 2% of the total cost. Salaries are much higher in the US than in Taiwan, yes, but Chips factories are highly automated. And equip them with the lithography machines that require essentially costs the same in the US and Taiwan. There is no doubt about one thing: they are good news for American customers of TSMC, among which are Apple, Nvidia, AMD or Broadcom. Image | TSMC More information | Techinsights In Xataka | TSMC is willing to take control of Intel chips factories. What you don’t want is to do it alone

It is its grounding chips manufacturing technology

by

The American Blackrockthe largest investment company in the world, is very interested in a very little known emerging company dedicated to the manufacture of Quantum computers. According to ReutersPsychantum, which is what is the name of this Startuphe has raised At least 750 million dollars Through an ambitious financing round in which Blackrock seems to have brought the singing voice, but has not yet concluded. That this gigantic investment company is interested in the business of a company dedicated to quantum computers is not striking. The surprising thing is that your attention has fallen to a Startup Very little known. However, it is enough to investigate the psychantum strategy to intuit where Blackrock’s interest comes from. And this is not a small research company in quantum machines. Not much less. Psychantum already produces quantum chips thanks to its alliance with Globalfoundries There is a very obvious difference between Psychantum’s strategy and that of other large companies which are also investing in the development of quantum computers. Google and IBM have opted for superconductor cubits. Ionq and Honeywell, however, produce quantum machines with ion traps cubits. But Psychantum does not use any of these technologies. His philosophy It looks much more like that of Intel than to the companies that I just mentioned. It is possible to manufacture semiconductor cubits using materials very similar to those used to produce conventional chips Intel and Qutech, the Institute for Specialized Research in Quantum Computing that belongs to the Technical University of Delft, in the Netherlands, They demonstrated just a year ago that it is possible to manufacture semiconductor cubits through industrial procedures and using materials very similar to those used for produce conventional chipslike silicon oxide. Psychantum has also achieved it. In fact, he has forged an alliance with one of The main semiconductor manufacturers From the planet: the American firm Globalfoundries. And, apparently, together they are working on the development of the technology of Fotonic silicon to apply it to the production of integrated circuits endowed with quantum properties. This strategy has a very evident advantage against the production of cubits that require exotic materials: it allows to manufacture quantum processors with much more simplicity. In fact, It is feasible to produce them on a large scale through industrial procedure. This is precisely the Psychantum and Globalfoundries Plan. However, there is something else. On paper, semiconductor quantum chips have the ability to facilitate scaling in the number of cubits. And gathering more cubits in a single quantum processor is important not only to have more calculation capacity, but also to make possible the arrival of the first chips of this type equipped with the ability to amend their own mistakes. All this is what is at stake. There is no doubt that Blackrock knows very well where he gets. Image | Psychantum More information | Reuters In Xataka | After triumphing with its chips for AI, Nvidia has set another disruptive technology: quantum computers

The authentic responsible for China can make avant -garde chips is an almost unknown company: Sicarrier

by

During the last year and a half Huawei and SMIC have monopolized much of attention in the scope of the semiconductor industry. These two Chinese companies have worked together to develop the technology they needed to produce integrated 7 nm circuits using equipment deep ultraviolet lithography (UVP) that produces ASML. SANCTIONS TO CHINA from the United States and the Netherlands prevent this Dutch company from selling their most advanced machines to their Chinese clients, so none of them have access to their equipment extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE). The latter are adequate to manufacture 7 Nm chips on a large more advanced integration technologies. Nevertheless, Huawei and SMIC have managed to produce them using UVP equipment thanks to a technique known as Multiple patterning. Broadly this technology consists in transferring the pattern to the wafer in several passes with the purpose of increasing the resolution of the lithographic process. His problem is that he usually has an upward impact on the cost of chips and the decline in production capacity, although it works. Sicarrier is the Chinese company backed by the government behind this milestone During the last days several Asian media, such as SCMP either Nikkei Asiathey are giving visibility to a Chinese manufacturer of practically unknown lithography equipment that aspires to be the protagonist of Semicon China. This fair is dedicated to the semiconductor industry and will be held this week in Shanghai (China). A priori is surprising that Sicarrierwhich is what this company is called, it is attracting so much attention, but if we investigate a bit we will discover what makes it so special. The technology used by Huawei and SMIC to manufacture 7 Nm integrated circuits derives from a sicarrier patent The first reason is that it is a company that, according to the media that I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, is closely linked to Huawei, although its ties are not entirely clear. What we do know is that it has the economic support of the Shenzhen administration. And, what is more important, than the technology used by Huawei and SMIC to manufacture 7 Nm integrated circuits derives from a patent from sicarrier which seeks to make possible the production of 5 Nm chips using UVP lithography equipment. Although it was founded in 2021, during the last four years Sicarrier has maintained a very low profile. And there is no doubt that it is an express choice of its directive dome. Gives the feeling that the Chinese government wanted to happen as unnoticed as possible, and makes sense to be so if we are in mind that, according to Nikkei AsiaSicarrier’s goal is to compete with the manufacturers of lithography equipment that lead the market, among which are the Dutch company ASMLthe Japanese Tokyo Electron or the American Apply materials. It will be interesting to check this same week if the teams that will be released in Semicon China are up to expectations. Image | Sicarrier More information | SCMP | Nikkei Asia In Xataka | This is China’s big problem with chips: Huawei will manufacture its Kirin X90 for PC using the 7 Nm of SMIC

The US suspects that Nvidia chips are arriving in China through Malaysia: it has decided to take action on the matter

by

The United States and China fight an increasingly aggressive commercial war. In this pulse, both have imposed export controls to protect strategic sectors. Washington focuses on the most advanced chips, While Beijin responds with critical minerals restrictions. They seem firm measures, but everything indicates that they are not being fulfilled to the letter. Chinese is avoiding restrictions. At the beginning of last year we learned that the popular liberation army He had managed to do with the most powerful NVIDIA GPUs, among which were the GPU A100 and H100. This was particularly relevant because the export of these products is prohibited by the US Department of Commerce. {“Videid”: “X8WLH9Q”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “United States vs. China: The chips war”, “Tag”: “Webedia-prod”, “Duration”: “1611”} And they were not only the Chinese armed forces: also universities and research centers controlled by the government were using prohibited products. Washington believes that this has been possible by different ways, but concluded that the main channel were intermediary countries that collaborate with the Asian giant. First Singapore, now Malaysia. As The Economist points out, Singapore was one Of the countries that raised suspicions, simply because the figures did not square. In the last quarter of 2023, Nvidia multiplied by five shipments to customers in Singapore compared to the same period of the previous year, which suggested a possible detour to Chinese users. HGX H200, one of Nvidia’s most advanced products Now the focus is in Malaysia. According to Financial TimesThe United States suspects that many of the Nvidia chips enter the country end up in Chinese hands, avoiding current commercial restrictions. Given this scenario, Washington has begun to press the Malaysian government to control the trail of these latest generation chips. Tracking shipments is not so easy. The Minister of Commerce, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, has taken note of the requirement of the US and, he explains, has formed an interministerial working group to collaborate. However, he warns, that tracing chips shipments along the supply chain is not as simple as it seems and that it is a broad effort. Malaysia has become One of the great world epicenters of data centers, which explains the massive arrival of chips for the facilities that support companies such as Microsoft or Bytedance, the Tiktok matrix. According to Aziz, Washington is also promoting internal measures to reinforce control over the supply chain. In Xataka The general director of AMD is in China with one purpose: to snatch the AI ​​market to NVIDIA Waiting for results. For now, it remains to be seen if the pressure of the North American country will take effect. Malaysia has reasons to cooperate: a commercial retaliation could put its flourishing data centers at risk. Fulfill could simply be a way to protect your strategic position on the global technological map. The US does not want to give the arm to twist. The United States is doing everything possible to limit China’s access to avant -garde chips, mainly because of the Dual use risk: civil technologies that can also be applied in the military field. The concern is that these advances end up reinforcing the defensive and offensive abilities of the Chinese army. Images | Nvidia + Photoshop In Xataka | China and Russia are squeezing better than anyone the Nvidia GPUs thanks to a material need: they are vetoed (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news The US suspects that Nvidia chips are arriving in China through Malaysia: it has decided to take action on the matter It was originally posted in Xataka by Javier Marquez .

After triumphing with its chips for AI, Nvidia has set another disruptive technology: quantum computers

by

Nvidia’s bet for Quantum computers It is less and less shy. Jensen Huang, the co -founder and general director of this company, has announced A few hours ago at its annual developer conference that will open a laboratory expressly dedicated to Quantum computing research. It will be housed in Boston (Massachusetts) and will allow NVIDIA engineers to work side by side with the researchers at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Technology Institute (MIT). It will begin operating at the end of 2025. This strategic movement puts on the table with absolute clarity that Huang does not want to stay out of technology that will presumably cause a medium -term disruption. The most curious thing is that before formalizing the implementation of its new quantum technologies development laboratory, this executive has not let out the opportunity to retract. At the beginning of last January A few statements They caused a very abrupt fall of the actions of some of the companies that are dedicated to the development of quantum computers. “If you said 15 years you would probably be optimistic. And if you said 30 you would be pessimistic. But if you opt for 20 years I think many of us would believe it,” Jensen Huang argued At that time. With this reflection I tried to predict when the really useful quantum machines will be ready, and, therefore, capable of dealing with a very wide range of problems. But he has changed his mind. Just two and a half months later seems to be convinced that fully functional quantum computers will be ready much earlier. With the correction of errors of quantum computers in the spotlight Nvidia flirting with quantum computers is not really new. And is that He has been collaborating for more than two years With the Israeli company Quantum Machines. This company specialized in the development of hardware and software for quantum machines, and has been ready with NVIDIA a low -performance and high performance architecture that seeks to promote the progress of quantum computing. DGX quantum seeks to help researchers who work in the field of quantum computing to develop new quantum algorithms NVIDIA has contributed its CPU/GPU grace hopper system, a beast that is designed to execute applications of artificial intelligence and offer productivity at high performance computer scenarios, and also its open source programming model CUDA QUANTUM. His partner in this project, Quantum Machines, has been in charge of the integration and set -up of a quantum platform that, according to these two companies, is specifically designed to work in hybrid systems in which classical hardware and quantum coexist in harmony. The purpose of the DGX Quantum platform, which is what is called the hardware that these two companies have developed, is to help researchers who work in the field of quantum computing to develop new quantum algorithms. It may seem surprising that it is possible to use classic hardware to develop quantum algorithms, but it is something perfectly viable. In fact, this strategy helps to put quantum computing within the reach of many more researchers who can implement and test their ideas without having access to a quantum computer prototype. However, the DGX quantum platform also serves, according to NVIDIA, to calibrate quantum systems, control them, and even aspires to have a prominent role in the tuning of a correction system that allows quantum computers amend your own mistakes. Jensen Huang emphasized this idea during his GTC 2023 conference, and there is no doubt that It is a very attractive possibility. Extraordinarily attractive. And is that, As Ignacio Cirac explained to us In the conversation we had with him, the correction of errors will give us the opportunity to solve with quantum computers really significant problems. Image | Nvidia More information | Reuters | SCMP In Xataka | Quantum computers find it impossible to do nothing. It is a mystery that has scientists on alert

Within the most advanced chips manufacturing machines there is something incredible: small supernovae

by

Identifying a Supernova is an event that astronomers usually celebrate with enthusiasm. And it is not for less if we consider that they are One of the most violent events with which we can run into the cosmos. Knowing them better is very important because it can help us understand more precision How are the latest stages of The life of mass starsand also the mechanisms that explain how the material caused by stellar synthesis can lead to new star systems. The mathematical tools handled by astrophysics current nuclear fusion that take place in the nucleus of mass stars. During the stage known as the main sequence, stars obtain their energy from the fusion of hydrogen nuclei. As this chemical element is consumed, the star begins to produce helium nuclei, and, of course, its composition begins to evolve. During this process a huge amount of energy is released and the star is forced to continuously readjust to maintain hydrostatic balance, a phenomenon that is the result of the coexistence of two opposite forces capable of compensating. One of them is the gravitational contraction, which compresses the subject of the star, pressing it without rest. And the other is the radiation and gase pressure, which is the fruit of the ignition of the nuclear oven and tries to expand the star. The small supernovae of the extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment As we have anticipated from the holder, this article does not go only from Supernovas; It is also starred by the semiconductors. A priori we can intuit that these cosmic events and integrated circuits have nothing to do, but, curiously, they do have something in common. This is the reason why I found a good idea to start this text reviewing what a supernova is and why they occur. Otherwise we could not understand in all its extension the idea in which we are about to investigate. The ultraviolet radiation generation process used by UVE lithography equipment is very similar to what happens during a Supernova In the teams of extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE) that manufactures the Dutch company ASML, high power lasers instantly heat tens of thousands of tiny tin drops in a single second until they reach a temperature of half a million Celsius degrees. This interaction produces An extremely hot plasma that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm. This light must later be transported to the wafer thanks to a very precise mirrors and lenses system with the purpose of capturing the patterns that define the integrated circuits on a layer of photorers. Very broadly this is the strategy used by the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing machines that currently exist. And, as we have just seen, high -power lasers interpret an unquestionably protagonist role. As Jays Stewart, Chief of Research at ASML, explains in the very interesting article he has published in IEEE Spectrumthe ultraviolet radiation generation process used by UVE lithography equipment to produce avant -garde chips is very similar to what happens during a supernova. When a massive star exhausts its fuel and stops nuclear fusion processes, radiation pressure and gases is no longer able to counteract gravitational contraction. This phenomenon causes the star iron core It suddenly contracts under the enormous pressure that all layers of material that it has above. The star has lost the hydrostatic balance. At this moment all this matter loses the support that the nucleus exercised, which is now much more compact, and falls on it with enormous speed. When all that star material touches the surface of the nucleus there is a rebound effect that causes it to be fired with a huge energy towards the stellar medium, being disseminated. A supernova has just been produced. Some of them are so energetic that for a few seconds they emit more light than the entire galaxy that contains them. The tiny explosions that take place inside the UVE lithography equipment when a laser affects a tin drop produce a shock wave similar to that originating in the stellar medium, although much smaller scale. Surprisingly the mathematical equations that describe the evolution of these two types of explosions are the same. ASML engineers use them to calculate very precisely how the evolution of the shock wave that triggers plasma balls within the UVE equipment will be. And astrophysicians use them to describe the remains of the supernovas and deduce the properties of the star explosion that originated them. A Supernova has 10⁴⁵ times more energy That an explosion of tin, but thanks to this parallel, ASML engineers have been able to solve the complex problem derived from tin residues inside their most advanced lithography equipment. Image | ASML More information | IEEE Spectrum In Xataka | ‘Focus: The Asml Way’: The book that reveals the secrets of the most powerful European company in the chips industry

The book that reveals the secrets of the most powerful European company in the chips industry

by

The portrait of ASML proposed by Dutch journalist Marc Hijink in the book ‘Focus: The Asml Way’ It is extremely thorough. This Company of the Netherlands leads the manufacturing industry of photolithography teams that are necessary to produce integrated avant -garde circuits. In addition, in the short term it is very unlikely that another company will be able to compete with it from you to you. At least if we stick to extreme ultraviolet machines (UVE) that are used to make the most advanced chips. ASML was founded in 1984 by Philips and also the Dutch International (Advanced material semiconductor). The purpose of this alliance was to take advantage of the long experience of Philips in the tuning of optical equipment and lithography machines, and the knowledge of ASM in the field of integrated circuit manufacturing processes, to design and manufacture avant -garde photolithographic equipment. Today ASML holds an “invisible monopoly”as Hijink holds in his essay. The road to the UVE photolithography team has been long and tortuous This book seems to me a highly recommended work for any reader interested in technology in general. And essential for those who want to know better the semiconductor industry and scrutinize it through the eyes of the European company linked to this most relevant market. The chapters that Marc Hijink dedicates to the prolegomena that gave rise to THE CONSTITUTION OF ASML They are very interesting, but my favorites are all those in which the enormous complexity of avant -garde photolithography machines explores. Intel invested in 2012 no less than 4,000 million dollars to help Asml to finance the development of its UVE lithography team This company is where it is thanks to its UVE lithography machines. And the path that has taken him to them has not been at all a path of roses. In fact, Canon and Nikon, their natural competitors, they also tried to develop these chips production equipment, but They failed in the attempt due to the enormous technical and economic resources that implied its tuning. ASML It took more than two decades to have a fully functional UVE lithography machine ready, and had the economic and technological support of its best customers. Intel invested in 2012 no less than 4,000 million dollars To help you finance the development of this chips manufacturing machine. TSMC and Samsung also economically supported this company of the Netherlands during this project. And the play did well. In fact, these are the three companies that currently have ASML UVE lithography teams. The tuning of this lithographic team has given this Dutch Company the mastery of the manufacture of high integration semiconductors. In some moments the text of Hijink adopts a tone more similar to that of a black novel than that of an essay dedicated to technology. And it is reasonable for a reason: A ASML is currently subject to a lot of pressure by US governments and the Netherlands. The sanctions that have deployed both in recent years prevent this company sell your most advanced equipment to your Chinese customersand Marc Hijink explores the geopolitical plot in which ASML has been involved with the rigor that deserves a situation whose end is not yet evident. For now ‘Focus: The Asml Way’ It is only available in English, but you read effortlessly if you are minimally familiar with this language. Highly recommended. * Some price may have changed from the last review BIBLIOGRAPHY | ‘Focus: The Asml Way’by Marc Hijink In Xataka | 2024 has been a year full of uncertainty for chip designers. So much that the market has changed leader

Europe wants to lead chips research of less than 2 nm. ASML is the cornerstone of your plan

by

None of The main semiconductor manufacturers The planet is European. TSMC, the company that leads this industry, is from Taiwan. Samsung and Sk Hynix are South Korean. Intel and Micron Technology are Americans. AND SMIC is China. This panorama invites us to accept that Europe has lost the train of the production of integrated circuits, but, in reality, it is not so. At least not at all. And it is that the old continent has ASMLthe Dutch company that leads the design and manufacture of photolithography equipment that is necessary to produce avant -garde semiconductors. And it also has IMEC, an integrated circuit research center founded in 1984 and housed in Leuven (Belgium). It is the most experienced laboratory in the tuning of new integration technologies that we have in Europe. IMEC and ASML work side by side to go beyond the 2 nm Europe does not have the expertise of the US, China, Japan or South Korea when it comes to the industry that develops in its laboratories. In what remains a global power is in border investigation. If we look beyond the semiconductors and look, for example, in Quantum computerswe will verify that the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics housed in Garching (Germany) and the Quantum Computing Center of Delft (Netherlands) are two leading institutions in the research in quantum computing. Europe seeks to develop the necessary integration technologies to produce semiconductors beyond the 2 Nm barrier IMEC has that same prestige, but in the field of innovation in integrated circuits. This is the reason why in May 2024 The European Union decided deliver a subsidy 2.5 billion euros To put a pilot line that will allow the manufacture of avant -garde semiconductors. This subsidy will be part of the ‘Chips Act’ program and has a very specific purpose: to develop integration technologies that are necessary to produce semiconductors Beyond the 2 Nm barrier. This is, in short, the European plan. And it is that IMEC intends to put its technology in the hands of European companies that are dedicated to automotive, telecommunications or the manufacture of medical devices, among other sectors. Diversification can play in your favor because it will contribute to developing the European technological ecosystem on a large scale. However, this research center is not addressing this project alone; He is working side by side with ASML. In fact, this company of the Netherlands has a crucial role in this plan. And he has it because he will deliver to IMEC the photolithography teams that his researchers need to bring to fruition the production of integrated circuits of less than 2 nm. ASML will install in this laboratory even your machine extreme ultraviolet (UVE) and haute openingwhich is the most advanced semiconductor production team it currently has. In fact, the technology of this machine is the only one that is capable of take us beyond the 2 nm. One more note to conclude: the collaboration of IMEC and ASML also seeks to develop integration technologies for DRAM chips, the Fotonic silicon and advanced packaging techniques of integrated circuits. Image | IMEC More information | IMEC In Xataka | China prepares the mate to the US: it will have its own UVE lithography team to make chips in 2025

You will have your own UVE lithography team to make chips in 2025

by

We did not expect this. Neither we nor a good part of SEMICONDUCTOR EXPERTS that have been wet both and within China. And there are solid clues that argue that Huawei is already testing at its Dongguan facilities, in the province of Canton, the first team of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) Designed and manufactured entirely in China. The filtered photography that we publish a little lower in this article corroborates it. The leaks They assure That unlike the UVE machines produced by the Dutch company ASML, this Chinese lithography equipment uses an LDP ultraviolet light source (laser induced discharge), and not LPP class (plasma generated by laser). Presumably the development of this source of ultraviolet radiation emission is the milestone that has allowed Chinese engineers to develop a machine that Many experts did not see possible before five years in the best case. At the moment the most prudent is that we take this information with caution, but it seems solid enough to echo it. An interesting note is that on paper the LDP source is able to generate UVE light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm, so this Chinese prototype should be able to compete from you to you with ASML UVE photolithography machines. In addition, the leaks argue that China will begin the production of more test machines during the third quarter of this year with the purpose of launching the large -scale manufacture of these equipment during 2026. Why are the UVE photolithography teams so important to China The sanctions of USA and its allies They prevent ASML from giving their Chinese clients their most sophisticated integrated circuit manufacturing equipment. Its UVE machines belong to this category. The Chinese companies Huawei and SMIC have managed to produce 7 Nm chips using the deep ultraviolet lithography machines (UVP) of ASML that they have in their possession, but to make it possible they have had to resort to a technique known as Multiple patterning. The ‘multiple patterning’ perceptibly expensive chips and lies the production capacity This technique in broad strokes consists in transferring the pattern to the wafer in several passes with the purpose of increasing the resolution of the lithographic process. It works, but it has two big problems: it perceptibly expensive the chips and Merms production capacity. In addition, presumably will not allow to go beyond 5 Nm. Chinese manufacturers of integrated circuits have turned with mature chips production To sustain your business, but this strategy will not allow China to compete on equal terms with the US and its allies. An important note: mature semiconductors usually occur in nodes of 28 nm or less advanced, and are used in appliances, cars and electronic consumption devices. China needs to produce 3 NM chips or with even more advanced integration technologies to acquire the ability to develop semiconductors comparable to the most sophisticated that are currently manufacturing TSMC, Intel, Samsung or SK Hynix. The competitiveness of Huawei, SMIC and other companies is at stake. If this information is finally confirmed and China has its Commercial UVE machines in 2026, it will have taken a crucial step in its pulse with the US. Even so, Asml will continue to have The best lithography teams: The machines Haute Opening UVE that Intel is already testing, and that with all probability will soon verify TSMC and Samsung. Image | ASML More information | WCCFTECH In Xataka | TSMC acknowledges that it has been considered taking its factories out of Taiwan. It is impossible for a good reason

TSMC is willing to take control of Intel chips factories. What you don’t want is to do it alone

by

The administration led by Donald Trump has asked TSMC to help rescue intel semiconductor factories. This is at least what media support almost always as well informed as Reuters either SCMP. If so, This initiative of the US government It changes everything. If the Trump administration did not agree with this strategy, its viability would be very small, but its support invites us to take this possibility very seriously. According to these TSMC media, it is preparing a proposal that will present both Intel and the US government to take control of Integrated circuit production plants of this American company. However, this Taiwanese chips manufacturer does not want to face this solo challenge; He prefers to do it with other companies that presumably also interested in participating in the management of Intel factories. According to the sources of ReutersTSMC managers are talking to their Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom and Qualcomm counterparts with the purpose of constituting a joint company that is responsible for plant management. TSMC would not have a participation in any case greater than 50% in this Joint Venture. At the moment there has been no official confirmation that supports these negotiations, but at the current situation this information is very credible. In any case, this plan will not come to fruition if it does not have the approval of the Donald Trump government. Some Intel relevant employees want to keep control of factories Ben Sell, Vice President of Intel Technology Development, confirmed At the end of last September that the 18A node already has the maturity necessary to enter large -scale production in 2025. and also assured that it will benefit from the resources that have been reallocated since the 20A node. In the current scenario the 18A node will be the true protagonist. In fact, and this is really important, Intel has confirmed which will receive a maximum of 3,000 million dollars within the framework of the ‘Chips and Science Act’ program to manufacture semiconductors for the US government in a reliable way. Lithography 18a is the best opportunity that Intel has to resume direction and improve its competitiveness The name of this plan, “Safe Enclave”, reflects one of the requirements required by the Administration: Chips must occur in the strictest confidentiality. And, as we can intuit, these integrated circuits They will be manufactured in the 18A node. This integration technology is definitely the best opportunity that Intel has to resume course and improve its competitiveness. In fact, voices are being raised within the company itself that demand a little patience to give this node the opportunity to place Intel on the path of recovery. This statement by Joseph Bonetti, main manager of Intel engineering programs, expresses this vision very well: “Intel leaders, Board of Directors of Intel and Donald Trump administration, please do not sell or give the control of Intel Foundry to TSMC just when Intel is taking the technological front and starting to take off. It would be a terrible and demoralizing error.” Bonetti also maintains that Intel is not lagging for its competitors, and that the advances that their engineers are achieving in the field of chips production are very important. At the current situation there is no doubt that the 18A integration technology is the best Intel asset to recover health, but it is important that we do not overlook that its technicians have been calibrating more than a year and adjusting their first teams of lithography of extreme ultraviolet (UVE) and haute opening manufactured by ASML. Intel has them in its Hillsboro (USA) plant. The first tests with this machine presumably They made them at the end of 2024and in 2025 the preliminary tests that pursue to manufacture integrated circuits in the 14A node will begin. It sounds exciting. We will follow the track to this machine very closely to keep you aware of all progress. Image | Intel More information | Reuters | SCMP In Xataka | Bill Gates has radiographed Intel. And his diagnosis is overwhelmingly accurate

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.