China's wafer shake-up and the rise of 'Silicon Desert'
Greetings from the "Silicon Desert" of Arizona, where I have had the rare opportunity to visit Intel's newest and most advanced facility. Known as Fab 52, it has just begun production of the world's most cutting-edge chips, marking a key milestone for the American chipmaker's tech comeback bid.
Suiting up in a cleanroom gown was an experience. It started with a shower cap, then a full head cover that also covered my nose and mouth. Two pairs of gloves, one rubber and one cotton, to fully seal my hands were followed by shoe covers, cleanroom boots and protective eyewear. This provides a glimpse into the daily routine of a technician working on an ultra-advanced production line. And keep in mind, workers need to wear this gear the entirety of their 12-hour shifts.
Factory manager Michael led us through the factory floor of Fab 52 (pictured below), home to Intel's most advanced 18A chip production.
Machines known as overhead hoist vehicles immediately caught everyone's attention. Moving along tracks on the ceiling, they formed a kind of "multi-story superhighway" connecting all of Intel's fabs across the campus. More than 2,100 of these driverless cars travel along about 30 miles of track, ferrying silicon wafers from one machine to another. We also stopped by ASML's advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines on the cleanroom floor. The tools are essential for printing the world's tiniest transistor structures - and they are not the only cutting-edge feature of the plant.
"Even the concrete used to build the new factory needs to be specially tailor-made to accommodate new machines and new technologies," the factory manager said. According to Intel, about 600,000 cubic meters of concrete and 75,000 tons of steel reinforcement were used for Fab 52, roughly twice the amount used to construct the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building.
Outside, under the azure October sky, stretched the sun-baked plains of the desert, dotted with iconic saguaro cacti and agave plants. Rugged mountains loomed in the distance.Source
