Times Union: The Buzz: Kaloyeros predicts 450mm fabs by 2023
Published:
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 10:05
I wanted to share an article with you from the Times Union:
Alain Kaloyeros, CEO of SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany, predicted during a Q&A session Monday night that the computer chip industry will likely start making chips on 450mm (17.7-inch) silicon wafers by 2022 or 2023.
SUNY Poly is at the epicenter of the industry’s move to 450mm manufacturing, which is expected to be more economical than the current manufacturing that uses 300mm (11.8 inch) wafers. The school hosts the 450 Global Consortium, a group of the world’s largest chip manufacturers, including Intel and Samsung, working on a creating a $1 billion pilot 450mm chip factory on its Fuller Road campus.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="298"]
Alain Kaloyeros talking to audience members after Monday’s talk at SUNY Poly in Albany[/caption]
Originally, it was expected that the industry might start 450mm manufacturing as early as 2017 or 2018, but Kaloyeros said the migration will be about five years after that. That earlier date was based on Intel’s original plans, which have since changed.
“I think it’s going to happen,” Kaloyeros said. “But it’s going to take another few years.”
The Q&A event was part of the school’s annual Nanovember educational celebration that takes place throughout November.
Responding to a question about the G450C from a Samsung employee who was at the talk, Kaloyeros said he could see Samsung being the first chip company to build a 450mm fab.
“If those things are going to happen, Samsung might be the first one,” Kaloyeros said.
That is interesting since SUNY Poly has a site at its Utica campus especially designed for 450mm chip fabs that SUNY Poly would build and own but lease to a chip company.
Samsung is currently partnering with GlobalFoundries on next-generation chips at GlobalFoundries’ Fab 8 campus in Saratoga County, but its only chip manufacturing is currently done in Austin, Texas.
Kaloyeros noted that Samsung recently announced it plans to build a new $14 billion fab in South Korea.
“New York would have been much cheaper,” Kaloyeros joked.
Times Union: The Buzz: Kaloyeros predicts 450mm fabs by 2023
November 17, 2014 | Larry Rulison
