AMD has made a significant change to its original plans to migrate Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany to 300mm wafer production and rename the facility Fab 38. The original plan was to remodel the cleanroom while undertaking a phased disassembly and removal of 200mm tools while continuing to have the facility produce microprocessors on 200mm wafers as new 300mm equipment was then installed and qualified. 

In July 2007, M+W Zander FE GmbH was awarded the contract to undertake the conversion of Fab 30.

However, AMD executives said during a conference call with financial analysts last Thursday that Fab 30 would effectively be completely closed from a manufacturing perspective for the wafer migration work to take place. Little if any actual production activity is now expected from the facility in 2008, executives noted.

“We have shut down Fab 30, we are transitioning out to Fab 38, and we're doing it in such a way that Fab 38 is going to be like a race car idling in the pit stop,” remarked Hector Ruiz, CEO of AMD. “I mean, we will be prepared to ramp that quickly, should we need extra capacity in that space; which frankly, we hope we do. But at this point in time, we're planning to have Fab 38 at modest activity in 2008.”

In July 2007, M+W Zander FE GmbH was awarded the contract to undertake the conversion of Fab 30. The M+W Zander announcement can be viewed here.