Semiconductors

One of the core challenges that Rapidus will face when it kicks off volume production of chips on its 2nm-class process technology in 2027 is lining up customers. With Intel, Samsung, and TSMC all slated to offer their own 2nm-class nodes by that time, Rapidus will need some kind of advantage to attract customers away from its more established rivals. To that end, the company thinks they've found their edge: fully automated packaging that will allow for shorter chip lead times than manned packaging operations. In an interview with Nikkei, Rapidus' president, Atsuyoshi Koike, outlined the company's vision to use advanced packaging as a competitive edge for the new fab. The Hokkaido facility, which is currently under construction and is expecting to begin equipment installation...

Top 10 Foundries See Revenue Drop Nearly 15% Year-over-Year

The top 10 contract makers of chips saw their Q1 2023 revenue decline by 14.6% year-over-year and 18.6% quarter-over-quarter, according to the most recent report by TrendForce. The market...

0 by Anton Shilov on 6/13/2023

TSMC Opens Advanced Backend Packaging Fab for AI and HPC Products

TSMC on Friday formally opened its Advanced Backend Fab 6 facility, which it will be using to expand the company's capacity for building high-end, multi-chiplet products. The facility is...

1 by Anton Shilov on 6/9/2023

TSMC Shares More Info on 2nm: New MIM Capacitor and Backside PDN Detailed

TSMC has revealed some additional details about its upcoming N2 and N2P process technology at its European Technology Symposium 2023. Both production nodes are being developed with high-performance computing...

15 by Anton Shilov on 5/31/2023

TSMC Preps 6x Reticle Size Super Carrier Interposer for Extreme SiP Processors

As part of their efforts to push the boundaries on the largest manufacturable chip sizes, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is working on its new Chip-On-Wafer-On-Substrate-L (CoWoS-L) packaging technology that...

2 by Anton Shilov on 5/26/2023

TSMC Details N4X Process for HPC: Extreme Performance at Minimum Leakage

At its 2023 Technology Symposium TSMC revealed some additional details about its upcoming N4X technology that is designed specifically for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. This node promises to enable...

5 by Anton Shilov on 5/26/2023

TSMC: We Have Working CFET Transistors in the Lab, But They Are Generations Away

Offering an update on its work with complementary field-effect transistors (CFETs) as part of the company's European Technology Symposium 2023, TSMC has revealed that it has working CFETs within...

3 by Anton Shilov on 5/25/2023

Samsung to Unveil Refined 3nm and Performance-Enhanced 4nm Nodes at VLSI Symposium

Samsung Foundry is set to detail its second generation 3 nm-class fabrication technology as well as its performance-enhanced 4 nm-class manufacturing process at the upcoming upcoming 2023 Symposium on...

3 by Anton Shilov on 5/10/2023

Samsung Foundry Vows to Surpass TSMC Within Five Years

The head of Samsung's semiconductor unit acknowledged last week that the company's current mass production, leading-edge process technologies are a couple of years behind TSMC's most advanced production nodes...

18 by Anton Shilov on 5/8/2023

TSMC Announces Early Access Nodes for Next-Gen Car Chips: N4AE and N3AE

As the final set of announcements from this week's North American Technology Symposium, TSMC closed out their fab roadmap updates with some fresh news on their automotive-centric processes. For...

10 by Anton Shilov on 4/28/2023

TSMC Details 3nm Evolution: N3E On Schedule, N3P and N3X To Deliver 5% Performance Gains

Alongside some new announcements for their 2nm process node plans, TSMC has also released a progress and roadmap update for their N3 family process technologies at today's 2023 North...

13 by Anton Shilov on 4/26/2023

TSMC Outlines 2nm Plans: N2P Brings Backside Power Delivery in 2026, N2X Added To Roadmap

At its 2023 North American Technology Symposium today, TSMC has disclosed additional details about its plans for its forthcoming N2 2nm-class production nodes in 2025 – 2026 and beyond...

38 by Anton Shilov on 4/26/2023

GlobalFoundries Sues IBM Over Sharing Leading-Edge Chip IP with Intel, Rapidus

The relationship between GlobalFoundries and IBM has been rocky in recent years. Among other things, Big Blue has previously sued GF, seeking damages for abruptly stopping the development of...

10 by Anton Shilov on 4/20/2023

Synopsys Intros AI-Powered EDA Suite to Accelerate Chip Design and Cut Costs

Synopsys has introduced the industry's first full-stack AI-powered suite of electronic design automation tools that covers all stages of chip design, from architecture to design and implementation to manufacturing...

12 by Anton Shilov on 3/30/2023

NVIDIA's cuLitho to Speed Up Computational Lithography for 2nm and Beyond

Production of chips using leading-edge process technologies requires more compute power than ever. To address requirements of 2nm nodes and beyond, NVIDIA is rolling out its cuLitho software library...

31 by Anton Shilov on 3/27/2023

Gordon Moore, Intel's Co-Founder and Tech Industry Visionary, Passes Away At 94

Intel and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have announced this evening that Gordon Moore, Intel’s famous co-founder and grandfather to much of the modern chip industry, has passed...

20 by Ryan Smith on 3/24/2023

Out With Organic, In With Glass? DNP Unveils Glass Core Substrate Tech For Chips

As the chip industry develops more sophisticated processors with higher heat dissipation requirements, some firms have moved on to chiplet-based designs. This not-so-gradual shift has resulted in chip packaging...

17 by Anton Shilov on 3/23/2023

Inflation Drives Up Fab Costs for Intel and Samsung by Billions of Dollars

To address future demand for semiconductors amid severe chip shortages of 2020 – 2022, all leading chipmakers announced plans to build new fabs and even disclosed their estimated costs...

15 by Anton Shilov on 3/16/2023

Samsung Seeks to Make South Korea No. 1 Chipmaker with $230B Investment Over 20 Years

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled their plan to invest $230 billion over the next 20 years in a new semiconductor production mega cluster in South Korea. The country's government believes...

22 by Anton Shilov on 3/15/2023

TSMC's 3nm Journey: Slow Ramp, Huge Investments, Big Future

Last week, TSMC issued their Q4 and full-year 2022 earnings reports for the company. Besides confirming that TSMC was closing out a very busy, very profitable year for the...

30 by Anton Shilov on 1/17/2023

TSMC Unveils Major U.S. Fab Expansion Plans: 3nm and $40 Billion by 2026

TSMC this week held its Arizona fab 'first tool-in' ceremony, where alongside celebrating its first US fab, the company also announced major expansion plans for the production facility. The...

17 by Anton Shilov on 12/7/2022

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