Chipmakers STMicroelectronics (STM) and GlobalFoundries (GF) have introduced plans to construct a collectively operated 300mm semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility in France.
In keeping with a assertion on STM’s web site, STM and GF will obtain “vital monetary assist” from the French authorities to fund the undertaking. The announcement kinds a part of French president Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to entice extra overseas buyers to the nation.
The brand new joint facility shall be constructed close by to STM’s current plant in Crolles, southeastern France. The brand new plant is anticipated to be totally operational by 2026 and can produce 620,000 300mm wafers a yr.
The chips manufactured on the new facility will use FD-SOI (Totally Depleted Silicon on Insulator) know-how, permitting them to assist a broad vary of applied sciences, together with automotive, industrial, IoT and communications infrastructure functions. GlobalFoundries will obtain 58% of the output, with the remaining 42% going to STMicroelectronics.
In an announcement asserting the three way partnership, Jean-Marc Chery, CEO of STMicroelectronics mentioned the brand new manufacturing facility will assist the corporate’s $20 billion income ambitions.
“Working with GlobalFoundries will enable us to go sooner, decrease the danger thresholds, and reinforce the European FD-SOI ecosystem. We may have extra capability to assist our European and international prospects as they transition to digitalization and decarbonization,” he mentioned.
The state of the microchip market
Since 2020, the worldwide chip market has been going through a disaster, with suppliers not having the ability to sustain with the rising demand for semiconductors. Through the pandemic, gross sales of digital units soared at a time when factories had been having to halt manufacturing resulting from lockdown orders, inflicting enormous disruption throughout quite a few industries.
At present, round 75% of semiconductor manufacturing happens in China and East Asia. Nonetheless, given the extent of disruption the trade has confronted over the past two years, there’s now a significant push from Western nations to extend chip manufacturing.
In 2021, the European Union proposed The European Chips Act, aiming to bolster the manufacturing of semiconductors and double Europe’s market share to twenty% by 2030.
Within the US, president Joe Biden has put ahead laws to assist increase chip manufacturing within the US to assist ease provide chain points. Each Intel and Samsung have already introduced they might be constructing new chipmaking crops, selecting websites in Ohio and Texas respectively.
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