Disappointing financial results. A 15% layoff of its workforce. Restructuring and cost-reduction plans which may include the sale of FPGA unit Altera and freezing its USD 32 billion German fab project. Now, there seems to be more bad news on the way for Intel, as its advanced nodes, specifically 18A and 20A, reportedly run into trouble.

Broadcom Regards 18A Not Ready for High-volume Production

According to Reuters and The Verge, Broadcom’s initial tests with Intel’s 18A (1.8nm-class) process did not meet expectations, creating additional pressure on the semiconductor giant’s efforts to catch up with TSMC in the foundry sector. The reports note that Broadcom tested Intel’s 18A by producing wafers with typical design patterns. However, its engineers and executives were said to be disappointed with the results, regarding the process as “not ready for high-volume production.”

A Broadcom spokesperson informed Reuters that the company has not yet completed its evaluation of Intel’s 18A, indicating that the assessment is still in progress.

The 18A node plays a crucial role in Intel’s roadmap, as it has been working on the process for years, targeting to begin mass production next year, with major clients including Microsoft, according to the Verge.

However, another report from Tom’s Hardware also suggests that a defect density below 0.5 defects per square centimeter is typically seen as a positive outcome, which Intel may have already accomplished. Citing CEO Pat Gelsinger’s previous remarks, the report notes that Intel is now below 0.4 d0 defect density, which can be considered a healthy process.

20 A Cancelled: Not a Bad Idea for Cost-reduction?

Another latest bad news, though, is that Intel announced that it will no longer use its own 20A process for the upcoming Arrow Lake processors aimed at the consumer market. In its own words, the Arrow Lake processor family will be built primarily using external partners and packaged by Intel Foundry.

The unexpected move, according to Intel, is made in order to focus resources on Intel 18A, helping the company to optimize its engineering investments.

The strategy might not be a bad idea amid Intel’s crisis, as the bypass of the 20A process altogether can help avoiding the significant capital expenditures needed to scale the node to full production, a report by Tom’s Hardware notes. By sidestepping the typically high costs associated with ramping up a new and advanced node like 20A, the company will likely make progress toward its cost-cutting objectives. The order of Arrow Lake, though, might possibly go to TSMC, the report indicates.

Read more

• [News] AMD Could Emerge as a Prospective Buyer for Intel’s Potential Sale of Altera
• [News] Intel Reportedly Mulls to Sell FPGA Unit Altera and Freeze USD 32 Billion German Project amid Crisis

(Photo credit: Intel)

Recently, Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced that by 2026, the sales share of its high-end Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA) substrates for server and artificial intelligence will exceed 50%.

FCBGA is an integrated circuit (IC) packaging technology，which involves flipping the chip and connecting it to the packaging substrate, then using spherical solder bumps to attach the package to the substrate.

It is mainly used in the packaging of high-density, high-speed, multi-functional large-scale IC chips, offering advantages such as high integration, small size, high performance, and low power consumption.

After a prolonged period of inventory cutting, the balance between semiconductor supply and demand sides has improved, with market demand gradually recovering.

The strong demand in fields such as high-speed network, server, smart driving, and optical module has continuously energized the development of high-multilayer high-speed boards and advanced HDI boards, which in turn is gradually boosting the prosperity of the packaging substrate industry.

As one of the main packaging methods for core electronic components like PC central processing unit, memory, and graphics processor, FCBGA boasts significant market potential in the development of 5G communications, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other fields.

Globally, IDM companies such as Micron, Infineon, and NXP have conducted extensive research and development in the FCBGA packaging field, while specialized packaging and testing companies like ASE Group, JCET, and Amkor have also developed various FCBGA technologies.

It is reported that numerous major international semiconductor companies, including Intel, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, AMD, and Samsung, are utilizing FCBGA technology.

Intel is one of the pioneers of FCBGA technology, first applying it to processors in 1997, while Apple is a loyal adopter of FCBGA technology, having used it in its processors from an early stage.

Data indicates that the global FCBGA packaging technology market will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years, with the market size expected to exceed USD 20 billion by 2026.

In face of such a highly potential opportunities, an increasingly more companies are channeling more efforts in developing FCBGA packaging technology, continuously facilitating its innovation and upgrade, and Chinese companies are also a part of this competition.

Currently, main companies engaging in FCBGA packaging substrates business in China include Fastprint, SCC, and FHEC (Forehope-elec), etc, which have disclosed their current progresses referring to FCBGA research and development.

Besides, Strongteam, a real estate company attempting to enter the semiconductor field, has set its sight on the FCBGA sector.

Fastprint disclosed that its low-layer FCBGA packaging substrates are currently in the small-batch delivery stage, with primary applications in the automotive and AI sectors.

SCC stated that it already has the capability of mass producing FCBGA packaging substrates with 16 layers and less, and the capability of sample manufacturing products with more than 16 layers.

The production line validation, sample delivery, and certification processes for various product levels have proceeded smoothly on track. Strongteam is actively transitioning into the semiconductor field and plans to invest in high-end FCBGA IC substrate enterprises.

Read more

• [News] Samsung Gains Early Market Entry Advantage in the Panel-Level Packaging Sector Ahead of TSMC
• [News] Intel Foundry Unveils its Expanded Process Roadmap for AI Era at Direct Connect 2024 Event

(Photo credit: Samsung)

Intel and Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, are reportedly planning to set up an R&D hub in Japan. As per a report from Tom’s Hardware, the new facility is expected to be built within the next 3-5 years, with a total investment projected to reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

According to a report from Nikkei on September 3rd, this facility is said to be putting more focus on developing advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials, as well as introducing Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

On the other hand, the hub will feature EUV lithography equipment, with AIST overseeing operations and Intel providing expertise in semiconductor manufacturing using EUV equipment.

The report from Nikkei indicates that Rapidus, expected to mass-produce 2nm chips by 2027, will introduce Japan’s first EUV lithography equipment in December 2024. The planned R&D hub, per Nikkei, will become the first research institution in Japan to incorporate such tool. The hub is also considering technical collaboration and talent exchange with U.S. research institutions.

Reportedly, EUV lithography equipment is essential for producing advanced chips below 5nm, but each unit costs over JPY 40 billion, making it difficult for materials and equipment manufacturers to purchase independently.

Therefore, semicondcutor companies may have to be rely on certain research institutions’ EUV equipment overseas to conduct research and product development, such as imec.

The global semiconductor foundry leader, TSMC, established a next-generation semiconductor R&D hub in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, in June 2022. Additionally, Samsung Electronics plans to set up a chip R&D center in Yokohama, Japan, by the end of 2024.

Read more

• [News] Japan’s Chip Equipment Sales Hit Record High This Year, with 23.6% YoY Growth in July
• [News] Intel Reportedly Utilizes Sharp’s LCD Panel Factory for Semiconductor Backend Process

(Photo credit: Intel)

As Intel has reportedly been working out options to navigate the company through crisis, its possible moves are said to include selling off Altera, putting a halt to its investment project in Germany, and though, less unlikely, sale of its foundry business. However, if this restructuring does happen, according to South Korean media outlets The Korea Times and The Korea Herald, Samsung and TSMC are unlikely to be buyers for Intel’s foundry operations.

A Risky Move for Samsung to Make

Intel’s thoughts on its foundry business has been casting ripples in the global semiconductor industry, as the market has been speculating who the buyers might be and whether the falling giant will take action on the potential divestiture of its foundry operations.

Nevertheless, a report by The Korea Times notes that as Intel’s foundry market share is currently small, the impact to its competitors may be minimum. Therefore, it is unlikely that this sale will immediately boost Samsung’s chip market share.

According to TrendForce’s latest analysis, top five rankings in the foundry sector remained unchanged in the second quarter, with TSMC (62.3%), Samsung (11.5%), SMIC (5.7%), UMC (5.3%), and GlobalFoundries (4.9%) stood steadfast in their positions.

Moreover, industry officials cited by the report notes that it could be a risky move for Samsung to make another large investment in Intel’s foundry. Samsung’s non-memory chip division, which encompasses foundry and large-scale system integration devices, reportedly incurred an operating loss of 300 billion won (USD 2.24 million) in the second quarter of this year, according to the report.

On the other hand, Washington’s attitude could also pose a challenge for current market players like TSMC and Samsung, the report indicates. Given that the U.S. regards semiconductor manufacturing as a matter of national security, GlobalFoundries might be the most likely buyer, as it is a U.S. company and aligns with the policy of protecting U.S. national security, according to a semiconductor industry official cited by the report.

An Emerging Foundry Opportunity for Samsung: AI Chips

A report by The Korea Herald observes that Samsung, in a way, has been facing similar difficulties with Intel, as the company finds it challenging in securing significant orders from big techs. While TSMC is known for having close ties with tech giants, Samsung, on the other hand, is seeing increased orders from startups and automotive firms.

However, a turning point may have arrived. IBM unveiled its new AI chips for servers, the IBM Telum II Processor and IBM Spyre Accelerator, at Hot Chips 2024 last week. The report notes that these upcoming chips will be manufactured by Samsung using its 5nm process technology.

The report further suggests that it would be more advantageous for Samsung to focus on identifying potential clients in the AI industry and securing their orders, rather than trying to compete with TSMC on all areas of the logic chips sector.

Read more

• [News] AMD Could Emerge as a Prospective Buyer for Intel’s Potential Sale of Altera
• [News] TSMC May Benefit from Intel’s Potential Altera Sale Due to Close Ties with Buyers

(Photo credit: Samsung)

Reuters previously reported that Intel is considering selling its stake in Altera, a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) manufacturer, as part of its business restructuring and cost-cutting efforts, as AMD and Marvell are said to be potential buyers.

As per a report from Economic Daily News citing sources, it’s believed that if the sale goes through, a significant portion of Altera’s orders could be redirected to TSMC, which would be highly beneficial for the Taiwanese foundry giant.

The same report indicated that Altera used to be a major customer of TSMC. However, after Intel acquired Altera in 2015, the orders were redirected to Intel. TSMC’s rapid growth, bolstered by orders from clients like Apple, AMD, and NVIDIA, helped mitigate the impact of losing Altera’s business though.

If Altera is no longer part of Intel, as it might be is acquired by companies like AMD or Marvell, which are currently key clients of TSMC, it is likely that Altera’s orders may return to TSMC in significant volumes.

Intel acquired Altera for USD 16.7 billion in 2015, and has previously indicated plans to sell a portion of its stake through an initial public offering (IPO), though no specific date has been set.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Reuter’s report suggested that Intel’s plan does not currently include splitting up the company or selling its foundry business to buyers like TSMC, Reuters notes.

Intel had already begun segregating its wafer foundry business into an independent division and financials, starting from the first quarter of this year.

Per Reuters, the company has established a wall between its foundry and IC design business to ensure that the design division’s potential customers cannot access the confidential technologies of Intel’s foundry clients.

Read more

• [News] AMD Could Emerge as a Prospective Buyer for Intel’s Potential Sale of Altera
• [News] Intel Reportedly Mulls to Sell FPGA Unit Altera and Freeze USD 32 Billion German Project amid Crisis

(Photo credit: Intel)