DUBLIN (Reuters) – Chipmaker Intel announced on Friday that it has commenced high-volume production using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines at its $18.5 billion plant in Ireland, marking a significant moment for the company as it aims to catch up to its rivals.
Intel stated that the EUV machines, which are capable of precision similar to hitting a person’s thumb with a laser pointer from the moon, will play a crucial role in achieving its goal of delivering five generations of technology within four years.
This initiative in Ireland represents Intel’s first venture into high-volume manufacturing using EUV technology. Once dominant in the chip manufacturing industry, Intel has lost its lead but is hopeful of regaining it with its latest manufacturing technology, which it claims will rival the best from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
“This is a landmark for Intel and the semiconductor industry as a whole,” commented Ann Kelleher, Intel’s general manager of technology development, in a statement.
Notably, the plant located in Leixlip, outside Dublin, is the first high-volume location for Intel’s manufacturing process called Intel 4, which leverages EUV. With this advanced manufacturing technique, Intel will produce its upcoming “Meteor Lake” chip for laptops, paving the way for AI-powered PCs.
Typically, Intel finalizes new manufacturing processes at its research and development site in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, Oregon. Subsequently, Intel exports the manufacturing template to other sites across the globe, including Ireland and Arizona in the U.S.
Manufactured by Dutch company ASML, the EUV machines are as large as a bus and carry a price tag of approximately $150 million each, making them one of the most expensive tools in the world.
Beyond its existing facilities in Ireland, Intel has plans to construct a significant chip complex in Germany and a semiconductor assembly and test facility in Poland. These new sites will benefit from eased funding rules and subsidies in the EU, as the bloc strives to reduce its dependence on U.S. and Asian suppliers.
According to Intel, the three facilities will establish an end-to-end advanced semiconductor manufacturing value chain in Europe, a first of its kind.
Additionally, the new factory will double Intel’s manufacturing space in Ireland, where it stands as one of the country’s largest multinational employers with 4,900 employees, comprising half of its European workforce. Over time, the company plans to create an additional 1,600 jobs at the plant.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Ireland, and Max A. Cherney in San Francisco; Editing by David Gregorio)
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
