Intel: 10nm full steam ahead at three manufacturing sites

Posted on Wednesday, December 23 2020 @ 16:28 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
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Intel send out a short press release today about its manufacturing operations. Overall, a lot of fluff and little substance. The firm says it now has three "high-volume" manufacturing operations that are going "full steam" to deliver more 10nm parts in customers' hands. Keyvan Esfarjani, senior vice president and general manager of Manufacturing and Operations at Intel, explains the blue team is now making 10nm chips in Oregon, Arizona and in Israel.

Esfarjani describes the 10nm progress as "coming along quite well." Intel had to delay its 10nm process for many years as the company faced significant struggles to make its manufacturing technology work. Even today, it's rumored that 10nm yields are still far below what's achieved on the 14nm node. And to make matters even worse for Intel, it looks like 7nm may also be facing more issues than expected. Recent rumors indicate 7nm may be significantly more delayed than the 6-12 months that was communicated.
manufacturing capacity over the past few years. To do this, the company found innovative ways to deliver more output within existing capacity through yield improvement projects and significant investments in capacity expansion. This video recounts that journey, which even included repurposing existing lab and office space for manufacturing.

"Over the last three years, we have doubled our wafer volume capacity, and that was a significant investment. Moving forward, we're not stopping… We are continuing to invest into factory capacity to ensure we can keep up with the growing needs of our customers," says Keyvan Esfarjani, senior vice president and general manager of Manufacturing and Operations at Intel.

The company also ramped its new 10nm process this year. Intel currently manufactures 10nm products in high volumes at its Oregon and Arizona sites in the U.S. and its site in Israel.

In 2020, Intel introduced an expanding lineup of 10nm products including 11th Gen Intel® Core processors and the Intel Atom® P5900, a system-on-chip for wireless base stations. In addition, the company introduced 10nm SuperFin technology, which enables the largest single intranode enhancement in Intel's history and delivers performance improvements comparable to a full-node transition.

Esfarjani explains: "10nm progress is coming along quite well. We have three high-volume manufacturing operations that are going full steam ahead to see how we can do more, better and faster, and continue to support our customers."


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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