[News] Seven Fabs Might Face a Delay in Construction

In the past two years, the semiconductor industry has experienced a market downturn, a recovery slower than expected, and a cash crunch. Major companies such as Intel, TSMC, and Samsung, while continuing to advance their expansion projects, have been constantly adjusting and slowing down the pace and schedule of their fab construction to better serve their long-term development goals. It’s found that seven fabs worldwide are projected to delay construction.

• Intel’s 1nm Chip Plant in Germany and Ohio Plant in the US Delay Construction

According to a report from global media outlet Volksstimme, the construction of Intel’s Fab 29.1 and Fab 29.2 near Magdeburg, Germany, has been postponed due to pending approval of EU subsidies and the need to remove and reuse black soil. The date of commencement has been pushed from summer 2024 to May 2025.

Earlier reports indicated that the construction of this chip planr was initially expected to begin in 1H23, but due to subsidy delays, construction was put off to summer 2024. Moreover, the topsoil at the construction site cannot be cleared until May 2025 at the earliest.

It is reported that Intel’s Fab 29.1 and Fab 29.2 were originally scheduled to start operations by late 2027 and were expected to employ advanced manufacturing processes, potentially Intel 14A (1.4nm) and Intel 10A (1nm) process nodes. However, Intel now estimates that it will take four to five years to build these two plants, and production is expected to commence between 2029 and 2030.

• Samsung’s Chip Plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea and Fab in Taylor, US Delay Construction

In February 2024, Samsung revealed that it had partially halted the construction of its fifth semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Samsung originally planned to build six semiconductor plants on an 855,000 square meter site in Pyeongtaek, creating the world’s largest semiconductor hub. Currently, the P1, P2, and P3 plants at the Pyeongtaek park house the most advanced DRAM, NAND flash memory, and foundry production lines, while the P4 and P5 plants are under construction.

Samsung stated that the halt was for further inspection. However, industry sources have revealed that Samsung’s adjustment of the new production lines for P4 and P5 fabs is to prioritize the construction of the PH2 production line at P4 fab. It is reported that P4 plant might build PH3 production line to produce high-end DRAM to meet market demands.

Besides, South Korean media Businesskorea also revealed Samsung has postponed the mass production timeline of the fab in Taylor, Texas, US from late 2024 to 2026, which is possibly due to a slowdown in the wafer foundry market growth, and the delay was attributed to U.S. government subsidies and issues related to the complexities in gaining permits.

• TSMC Postponed the Production of Two Plants in Arizona, US

On April 9, TSMC announced the plan to build a third fab in Arizona. Once completed, this fab will use 2nm process or even more advanced technologies to manufacture wafers for customers. With this addition, TSMC’s total capital expenditure in Phoenix, Arizona, will exceed USD 65 billion.

Meanwhile, TSMC disclosed that their first fab in Arizona will start production in 1H25, using 4nm process. The second fab, initially announced to use 3nm process, will also incorporate the more advanced 2nm process, with mass production set to begin in 2028. This fab was announced in December 2020, which was originally scheduled to start mass production using 3nm process in 2026, primarily, but the latest schedule represents a delay of nearly two years from the original one.

As to the third fab planned to set up in Arizona, TSMC has not yet disclosed the date for construction. However, they mentioned that it will use 2nm process or more advanced ones, with production expected to commence in the late 2030s.

• Wolfspeed’s 8-Inch SiC Fab might Delay Construction to 2025

Wolfspeed’s 8-inch SiC fab in Ensdorf, Saarland planned to invest about EUR 2.75 billion, but the construction has been postponed. The project has already secured subsidies of EUR 360 million from the German federal government and EUR155 million from the Saarland government. In addition, Wolfspeed is also seeking financial assistance from the European Chips Act. ZF will provide Wolfspeed with several hundred million dollars of financial investment in exchange for a minority stake in the plant.

Industry sources indicate that Wolfspeed aims to secure more funding before the groundbreaking ceremony. If it fails to gain financial assistance from the European Chips Act, the project is very likely to be delayed. The plant was initially scheduled to start construction in summer 2024, but Wolfspeed CEO Gregg Lowe revealed that it might now begin in 2025.

Read more

• [News] Intel’s 1nm-class Fabs in Germany Reportedly Delayed Due to Black Soil Concerns and Pending EU Subsidy Approval
• [News] TSMC’s Nanjing Plant Reportedly Pushes for Indefinite Exemption From US Before the May 31 Deadline
  

(Photo credit: TSMC)