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AMD to receive microprocessors from Chartered in June |
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Mar 30, 2006 at 03:35 PM |
 AMD is expected to see
its microprocessors roll off the fabrication line at Chartered Semiconductor's
300mm facility, Fab7, in June 2006, according to a report from Forbes.
Originally when the foundry deal was made official last year, Hector Ruiz, AMD's Chairman, stated that production of its microprocessors at Fab7 would begin late in 2006 and would be on a qualified compatible 65nm process.
At the opening of AMD's first 300mm facility (Fab 36) in Dresden, Germany, late last year, Ruiz remarked that production at Chartered would be brought forward due to the demand for its 64bit MPU's but declined to be more specific.
According to the Forbes report, Chartered expects to be able to ramp Fab7 to 18,000wspm (wafer starts per month) by the end of 2006, doubling its current monthly output.
Fab7 has so far been fabricating the microprocessor for Microsoft's Xbox360 under a foundry contract with IBM, the chip designer and a fabrication partner for Microsoft.
However, Chartered said in its last quarterly financial statements that wafer starts at Fab7 would be down slightly from the 10,000wspm figure achieved in the 4Q05 period. This was interpreted by some analysts as a fall-off in demand for the new Xbox as many expected Chartered to continue ramping in the 1Q06 period.
Now Fab7 looks set to return to ramping, though the end of year figure given suggests that the ramp rate of 1,000wspm will not be as fast for AMD compared to the IBM/Microsoft ramp in the second half of 2005, which averaged about 1,450wspm.
Fab7 has an estimated capacity of 30,000wspm.
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