SMIC Lays Foundation for Shenzhen Fab
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) kicked off construction of the 200 mm fab it is building in the southern city of Shenzhen, with support from the Shenzhen city government. The line is expected to begin pilot production late next year, followed by construction of a 300 mm line.
Yao Gang, Editor-in-Chief, SI China -- Semiconductor International, 6/30/2008 8:33:00 AM
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC, Shanghai) and Shenzhen officials laid a foundation stone in the Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone, kicking off their 200/300 mm Shenzhen manufacturing project.
According to the plan, construction of the initial 200 mm project will be accomplished in 13 months, and the line will begin operations in 18 months. SMIC has registered to establish Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shenzhen) Corp. Ltd. as the legal body for construction of the project.
| SMIC and Shenzhen city officials laid the foundation stone for the 200 mm wafer fab in the southern Chinese city. |
This 200 mm line is expected to begin pilot production in the fourth quarter of 2009, with a capacity of 30,000-50,000 wpm. The 300 mm line will be constructed after the 200 mm line is successfully in production.
SMIC signed a technical licensing agreement with IBM for 45 nm bulk CMOS process technology at the end of last year. The 300 mm production line to be built in Shenzhen by SMIC will use the advanced process techniques licensed from IBM to provide foundry services for SMIC’s customers. SMIC plans to begin 45 nm production next year, starting with its Shanghai 300 mm fab. SMIC announced a plan to set up its “Southern Headquarters” in Shenzhen on Jan. 29. The plan calls for it to establish an IC technology development center and two IC chip production lines. The investment for Phase I is estimated at $1.58B, which will include construction of an R&D center.
According to SMIC CEO Richard Chang, the Shenzhen government has strongly supported the project, and all of the work in the early stage has been progressing smoothly. In accordance with the requirements of the cooperation agreement with the Shenzhen municipal government, SMIC will dispatch its best project team to promote the construction of the project and build the southern base for China’s IC industry, company officials said. It is estimated that ~30% of the IC design companies in the Pearl River Delta area have cooperated with SMIC.
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