Chinese semiconductor industry
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There are at least two corporations in China who have the relevant process technology. Also, once SMEE has its immersion lithography tool up next year I think they will be able to have a sinofied production line.
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If Huawei produces the 28nm Chips in its own FAB this year, it means Huawei is moving faster than many expected.
Huawei has already completed its own 45nm FAB which is equiped with the SMEE 45nm or 65nm Dry Lithographs.
Remember that China has already completed the development of a localised 28nm Production line.
Huawei can actually now produce 22nm/28nm Chips using its 45nm or 65nm DUVL with Multiple Patterning.
It would just have to build up a parallel 28nm Production line.
Of course Huawei can also wait till next year when it gets the SMEE 28nm Immerssion DUVL before producing the 28nm Chips. The cost of production will be less next year.
It depends on whether Huawei has the strategic patience to wait a little longer.
Yangtze Memory has slowed down its FAB build up mainly due to some Financial Issues and also retooling with local equipment.
Yangtze Memory is also aware that placing huge orders for American Equipment which could be scrap metal if it is sanctioned is not a wise move.
Remember that Yangtze Memory only uses the 22nm process in producing its Chips, so it is now currently in the process of verifying local equipment and placing large orders with local manufacturers.
It has also placed an order for the SMEE 28nm DUVL and is awaiting delivery.
This is the real reason for the delays.
Similar to YMTC. They use the 20nm process so shouldnt be affected.
Eventually these companies will switch over to SMEE DUVL and Local Equipment.
This will make them immune to US Sanctions.
Hi WTAN,
Why not select would be champion instead of investing in multiple FABS? Tsinghua Unigroup should be investigated for fraud.
Skywatcher
Captain
Is it possible that the Huawei 28nm OLED driver chip was made by a third party foundry (i.e. TSMC, SMIC?)?
Though if that were the case, then they should have been taped out months before, and be in production already (since 28nm should be pretty mature, and it probably wouldn't take HiSilicon that long to design a 28nm chip).
Though if that were the case, then they should have been taped out months before, and be in production already (since 28nm should be pretty mature, and it probably wouldn't take HiSilicon that long to design a 28nm chip).
It takes at least 18 months for tapeout. The minimum time to design a chip and produce it is like 2-3 years.
The production cycles are that long. Not a lot you can do to rush things. This has been the case for decades.
CPU designers like AMD or Intel typically have 2-3 design teams. They have a small team doing high level design of the chip in two generations, another huge team doing the actual design of the next chip, and a third mid-sized team working on die-shrinks of an existing chip design. They work in an overlapped function and that is how you get a new chip every year in tick-tock style where you have a new design on an existing process followed by a die shrink of that design on a new process. They never do both at the same time since it is highly risky. If the project fails, the fabs won't have anything to produce and it will be a bugbear to find the problems.
There are lots of companies which can manufacture in 28nm. For example SMIC, Shanghai Huali, TSMC, UMC, GlobalFoundries, and many more. Too many to list. So many you could likely manufacture the chips under the table and few people would notice.
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