Intel Corp is expected to conduct a major upgrade of its first
China chip manufacturing plant in Dalian by 2010, a senior city
official said.
The company will adopt 65-nanometer or 45-nanometer technology
at the plant, the official said.
"The plant will definitely adopt more advanced process
technology, such as the 65-nanometer or 45-nanometer technology in
2010," said Xia Deren, mayor of Dalian, a seaport city of Northeast
China's Liaoning Province.
"The company is also planning to build a world-class research
and development facility for chipset technology in the city."
Intel, the world's largest semiconductor maker, said this March
it would invest US$2.5 billion to build a 12-inch wafer fabrication
plant in Dalian. Using the 90-nanometer process technology, the
facility is slated to churn out 52,000 pieces of chipsets each
month upon its completion in 2010.
Presently, Intel makes most of its advanced microprocessors on
65-nanometer technology and plans to begin the production on
next-generation 45-nanometer technology in the second half of this
year.
Intel has been trying to cement its lead in China in recent
years as the nation is likely to become the world's largest
information technology products market by 2010.
The Dalian plant is the company's first wafer fabrication plant
in Asia. With a total investment of US$2.5 billion, the facility is
one of China's biggest-single foreign-financed projects.
"The plant will give a great boost to the development of
Dalian's IT industry, especially the integrated circuit
manufacturing sector," Xia said. "We have already seen a number of
Intel's vendors considering setting up operations in Dalian."
According to Xia, the chip manufacturing plant will attract more
than 100-billion yuan in investment into the seaport city.
(China Daily June 21, 2007)