Intel cuts ribbon on $3B 45 nm Fab 32 in Arizona
By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- EDN, October 25, 2007
Maintaining its edge in semiconductor manufacturing and marking the opening of the first of its four 45 nm fabs, chip giant Intel Corp. is set to officially open its 300 mm Fab 32 in Chandler, Arizona this morning, representing a $3 billion investment for the company.
Fab 32 will produce Intel’s 45 nm processors, including the Penryn family for desktop, laptop, servers and workstations. Intel confirmed it is scheduled to launch its first 45 nm processors – for servers and workstations – on November 12.
According to the company, Fab 32 is Intel’s first high-volume 45nm fab. Its development fab “D1D” in Hillsboro, Oregon has been making 45 nm chips for several months now, while production at Fab 32 has just begun.
Intel’s other two 45 nm fabs include Fab 11X, located in Rio Rancho, N.M., which the company said in February will invest $1 to $1.5 billion to retool for 45 nm manufacturing, with production set to begin next year; Intel is also investing $3.5 billion to build Fab 28 in Kiryat Gat, Israel, with production set to begin in the first half of next year.
The 45-nm processors out of Fab 32 will be manufactured using Intel’s hafnium-based high-k metal gate transistors, which the company has said will allow it to continue delivering fast processor speeds, while reducing the amount of electrical leakage from transistors that can hamper chip and PC design, size, power consumption, noise and costs, as well as ensuring that Moore’s Law thrives well into the next decade.
Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO said of today’s event in a statement, “The opening of Fab 32 in Arizona today is a testament to Intel’s continued investment in our most strategic asset -- the most advanced, environmentally friendly manufacturing network in the world. The magic of 45 nm and our new transistor design allow us to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient processors to our customers across the entire spectrum of market segments, from the most powerful servers to a variety of mobile devices and everything in between.”
Fab 32 is Intel’s sixth 300 mm wafer factory, contains 184,000 square feet of clean room space and measures 1 million square feet -- large enough for more than 17 U.S. football fields to fit inside the building. More than 1,000 employees will operate the factory.
Intel also noted that Fab 32 will be among its most environmentally-friendly factories, incorporating a number of energy and water conservation measures. The 45 nm process itself results in a 15 percent reduction in global warming emissions, the company touted.
Further, Fab 32 makes use of Intel Arizona’s water conservation and reuse program which conserves more than 70 percent of the water.
In addition, Intel will seek certification for Fab 32 as the company’s first official green building rating system Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) factory based on new criteria being developed for facilities of this kind.
LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council and provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction and requires several months of operating data before certification can be completed. The certification would demonstrate that Fab 32 meets the highest environmental standards and reflects Intel’s history of commitment to environmental leadership, Intel added.
