2023-09-29 12:02:21
Chipmaker Intel said Friday it had begun high-volume production using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines at its $18.5 billion Irish factory, calling the moment “historic.” as it seeks to regain ground on its rivals.
The EUV tools, which are theoretically precise enough to hit a person’s thumb with a laser pointer from the moon, will play a key role in achieving Intel’s goal of delivering five generations of technology in four years, said the American company.
The Irish initiative is Intel’s first attempt at high-volume manufacturing using EUV technology.
Once the world’s number one chipmaker, Intel has lost its lead but says it is on track to regain it with manufacturing technology it says will rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s best technologies.
“This is a milestone for Intel and the entire semiconductor industry,” said Ann Kelleher, general manager of technology development at Intel.
“The transfer of Intel 4 process technology to high-volume production in Ireland is a giant step towards advanced manufacturing in Europe.
The factory, located in the town of Leixlip outside Dublin, is the first mass production site for its manufacturing process called Intel 4 which uses EUV. This advanced manufacturing technique will produce the next “Meteor Lake” chip for laptops, which will pave the way for artificial intelligence PCs.
Intel typically finalizes new manufacturing processes at a research and development site in Hillsboro, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. Once set, Intel exports the manufacturing model to other locations around the world, such as Ireland or Arizona in the United States.
The EUV machines, made by Dutch manufacturer ASML, are as large as a bus and cost around $150 million each, making them one of the most expensive tools in the world.
In addition to its existing facilities in Ireland, Intel plans to build a large chip manufacturing complex in Germany and a semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Poland. These new sites will benefit from a relaxation of funding and subsidy rules in the European Union, which seeks to reduce its dependence on the United States and Asia.
The three facilities will help create an end-to-end advanced semiconductor manufacturing value chain, the first of its kind in Europe, Intel said.
The new factory will double Intel’s production space in Ireland, where the company is one of the country’s largest multinational employers with 4,900 people, around half of its European workforce. The company plans to create 1,600 additional jobs there over time. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Ireland, and Max A. Cherney in San Francisco. Cherney in San Francisco; Writing by David Gregorio)
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