In August 2023, Fast Technology was one of only four Chinese media outlets to visit Intel's packaging and testing factory and laboratory in Malaysia , and gained an early understanding of the architectural design and technical features of the new Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) processor.
Recently, Fast Technology came to Phoenix, Arizona, USA, and visited Intel's Fab wafer factory there. It was the first time for us to get close to the advanced EUV lithography machine and 18A process line, which made up for the regret of not being able to go to the Israeli wafer factory during the epidemic.
In fact, this is also the first time that the factory has been open to the media, especially Fab 52 which has just been put into production.
Let’s first understand the background of Intel’s Arizona wafer factory.
Intel's journey in Arizona began in 1979, with operations in Chandler the following year, initially focusing on manufacturing and assembly.
Over the past 46 years, Intel has invested more than $50 billion in Arizona, making it one of the largest private companies and a significant contributor to the economy, making it a major global semiconductor manufacturing center.
Intel's Ocotillo Campus in Arizona, covering a total area of approximately 2.6 square kilometers , is located at the southern end of the Price Road Corridor and is one of the most popular industrial development locations in the valley.
Interestingly, this was once the Bogle family farm, covering an area of 2.8 square kilometers. It was acquired by Intel in the early 1990s, and there are still large areas of farmland and communities across the road from the park.
There are multiple wafer fabs in the park, which is the largest number of Intel worldwide:
Fab 12 : It was started in the 1990s and put into production in 2006. It was one of Intel's most advanced manufacturing plants at the time and currently mainly produces 22/14/10mm.
Fab 22 : Construction started in 1996 and put into production in 2002, mainly producing 22/14/10mm.
Fab 32 : Built in the early 21st century and put into production in 2007, it further expanded its production capacity and mainly produces 22/14/10mm.
Fab 42 : Construction started in 2011, was suspended for a while, and resumed in 2017 with an investment of US$7 billion. It was put into production in 2020, mainly producing 10nm and Intel 3.
Fab 52/62 : Part of Intel's IDM 2.0 strategy and continued expansion plan, with related investment of US$32 billion.
Among them, Fab 52 started construction in 2021 and has recently been fully put into operation. It has an EUV lithography machine and is about to mass-produce the most advanced 18A; Fab 62 just started construction in 2024 and will produce 14A in the future.
Each building here is named in the format of OCxx, where xx is a number starting from 1.
You may have noticed that the factory numbers in Arizona all end with the number 2 , which is also a tradition.
Intel's early wafer fabs were named sequentially, from the original Fab 1 to Fab 12, and then Arizona retained the name ending with 2.
All the numbers in New Mexico end in 1 (Fab 11/11X), all the numbers in Ireland end in 4 (Fab 14/24/34), all the numbers in Israel end in 8 (Fab 28/38), and all the numbers in Ohio will end in 7 (Fab 27 is under construction). Oregon, because it focuses on research and development, uses three letters + numbers (D1B/D1C/D1D/D1X/RB1/RP1, etc.).
There is only one exception here, which is the NAND flash memory wafer factory in Dalian, China, named Fab 68 for good luck, and now it has been completely sold to SK Hynix.
Today, the construction of a standard processor wafer fab typically takes 3-5 years or even longer and costs at least $20-25 billion.
During the construction of Fab 52, more than 1 million cubic meters of earth and rock were excavated, enough to fill 400 Olympic-standard swimming pools, and approximately 600,000 cubic meters of concrete were poured; 75,000 tons of steel bars were used, twice the amount of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai; 35,000 tons of structural steel were erected, five times the amount of the Eiffel Tower; and 9 million meters of cables and other pipelines were laid, equivalent to 214 full marathons.
At the same time, Intel has always attached great importance to environmental protection, especially in Arizona, which is seriously short of water. It has invested a lot of money in water treatment and water recycling in the factory area, and cooperated with the local government to build a water treatment facility covering an area of 48,600 square meters.
Among them, the Ocotillo Brine Reduction Facility (OBRF) is mainly used to remove salt from water before further treatment. It can process and recycle 340,700 cubic meters of water per day , and eventually return it as a high-purity water source for factory production.
Currently, Intel has achieved "water-positive" in Arizona, and as of 2023, it has restored 41.64 million cubic meters of water resources to the local area.
(to be continued)
Recently, Fast Technology came to Phoenix, Arizona, USA, and visited Intel's Fab wafer factory there. It was the first time for us to get close to the advanced EUV lithography machine and 18A process line, which made up for the regret of not being able to go to the Israeli wafer factory during the epidemic.
In fact, this is also the first time that the factory has been open to the media, especially Fab 52 which has just been put into production.
Let’s first understand the background of Intel’s Arizona wafer factory.
Intel's journey in Arizona began in 1979, with operations in Chandler the following year, initially focusing on manufacturing and assembly.
Over the past 46 years, Intel has invested more than $50 billion in Arizona, making it one of the largest private companies and a significant contributor to the economy, making it a major global semiconductor manufacturing center.
Intel's Ocotillo Campus in Arizona, covering a total area of approximately 2.6 square kilometers , is located at the southern end of the Price Road Corridor and is one of the most popular industrial development locations in the valley.
Interestingly, this was once the Bogle family farm, covering an area of 2.8 square kilometers. It was acquired by Intel in the early 1990s, and there are still large areas of farmland and communities across the road from the park.
There are multiple wafer fabs in the park, which is the largest number of Intel worldwide:
Fab 12 : It was started in the 1990s and put into production in 2006. It was one of Intel's most advanced manufacturing plants at the time and currently mainly produces 22/14/10mm.
Fab 22 : Construction started in 1996 and put into production in 2002, mainly producing 22/14/10mm.
Fab 32 : Built in the early 21st century and put into production in 2007, it further expanded its production capacity and mainly produces 22/14/10mm.
Fab 42 : Construction started in 2011, was suspended for a while, and resumed in 2017 with an investment of US$7 billion. It was put into production in 2020, mainly producing 10nm and Intel 3.
Fab 52/62 : Part of Intel's IDM 2.0 strategy and continued expansion plan, with related investment of US$32 billion.
Among them, Fab 52 started construction in 2021 and has recently been fully put into operation. It has an EUV lithography machine and is about to mass-produce the most advanced 18A; Fab 62 just started construction in 2024 and will produce 14A in the future.
Each building here is named in the format of OCxx, where xx is a number starting from 1.
You may have noticed that the factory numbers in Arizona all end with the number 2 , which is also a tradition.
Intel's early wafer fabs were named sequentially, from the original Fab 1 to Fab 12, and then Arizona retained the name ending with 2.
All the numbers in New Mexico end in 1 (Fab 11/11X), all the numbers in Ireland end in 4 (Fab 14/24/34), all the numbers in Israel end in 8 (Fab 28/38), and all the numbers in Ohio will end in 7 (Fab 27 is under construction). Oregon, because it focuses on research and development, uses three letters + numbers (D1B/D1C/D1D/D1X/RB1/RP1, etc.).
There is only one exception here, which is the NAND flash memory wafer factory in Dalian, China, named Fab 68 for good luck, and now it has been completely sold to SK Hynix.
Today, the construction of a standard processor wafer fab typically takes 3-5 years or even longer and costs at least $20-25 billion.
During the construction of Fab 52, more than 1 million cubic meters of earth and rock were excavated, enough to fill 400 Olympic-standard swimming pools, and approximately 600,000 cubic meters of concrete were poured; 75,000 tons of steel bars were used, twice the amount of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai; 35,000 tons of structural steel were erected, five times the amount of the Eiffel Tower; and 9 million meters of cables and other pipelines were laid, equivalent to 214 full marathons.
At the same time, Intel has always attached great importance to environmental protection, especially in Arizona, which is seriously short of water. It has invested a lot of money in water treatment and water recycling in the factory area, and cooperated with the local government to build a water treatment facility covering an area of 48,600 square meters.
Among them, the Ocotillo Brine Reduction Facility (OBRF) is mainly used to remove salt from water before further treatment. It can process and recycle 340,700 cubic meters of water per day , and eventually return it as a high-purity water source for factory production.
Currently, Intel has achieved "water-positive" in Arizona, and as of 2023, it has restored 41.64 million cubic meters of water resources to the local area.
当EUV光刻机近在眼前！Intel亚利桑那州晶圆厂行记
2023年8月，快科技作为仅有的四家中国媒体之一，参观了Intel位于马来西亚的封测工厂、实验室，同时提前了解了全新酷睿Ultra(Meteor Lake)处理器的架构设计和技术特性。(马来西亚
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(to be continued)
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