SMIC's 12-inch Wafer Plant in Shanghai Enters Mass Production
December 14, 2007
On December 10, Chinese chip maker SMIC began mass production at its first 12-inch wafer plant located in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park of Shanghai, Chinese-language Commercial Times reported.
The company revealed that it has injected approximately US$450 million into this new facility. Total investment is expected to reach up to US$2 billion eventually, according to China's Sohu News.
While the first batch of chips is based on 90nm process technology, the company plans to migrate further to 65nm and 45nm process technologies. Pilot production for 45nm chips is slated for year-end 2008. The company, however, declined to reveal further details.
Construction on the new 12-inch wafer plant kicked off in October 2005. Equipment installation began in May 2007, and pilot production was launched in July of the same year. To date, SMIC has three 8-inch wafer plants located in Shanghai, two 12-inch wafer plants in Beijing, and one 8-inch wafer plant in Tianjin, as well as a packaging and assembly facility in Chengdu. Major clients include Elpida, STMicroelectornics, and Qualcomm.