Intel to Start Volume Production of 45nm Chips in 45 Days
Intel Corp. said on Tuesday that it would start production of its new central processing units (CPUs) using new 45nm process technology in late October, less than two months from now.
Source: X-bit Labs
Following the formal opening, the world’s largest chipmaker will unveil new and faster processors in mid-November, a move expected to rise performance bar of computing.
“In 45 days, a new building called ‘Fab 32’ tucked into a sleepy corner of Arizona will come to life. Inside this building a new type of device will be made in incredible numbers,” said Nick Knupffer, a spokesman for Intel wrote in the company’s corporate blog.
Earlier Intel started making its central processing units using 45nm process tech at its development D1D fab in Oregon, however, the development fab cannot manufacture products in high-volume, which is required for mass products.
Intel’s 45nm fabrication process is an innovative production technology that features new Hafnium material with a property called high-k for the transistor gate dielectric, and a new combination of metal materials for the transistor gate electrode. The combination of thinner process technology along with new materials is projected to reduce transistor leakage and increases their performance.
The Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker is projected to ship its first server and high-performance desktop/workstation microprocessors made using 45nm process technology for revenue this year and even formally unveil it late in 2007 too. Potentially, the new 45nm central processing units represent a threat for the new breed of chips from Advanced Micro Devices, who is known for relatively slow volume ramps of its innovative chips.
Source: X-bit Labs