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Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC)
INTC 39.37+6.7%3:59 PM EST
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To: John F. Dowd who wrote (156689)1/24/2002 9:42:15 AM
From: Dan3  Read Replies (1) of 186894
 
Re: At the risk of demonstrating my ignorance what is an SOI production line?

SOI is a modification to the fabrication process that helps in several areas, but the most significant is that it can reduce power consumption.

IBM has been championing SOI as a requirement for .13 and beyond for years. IBM is now in production using SOI. AMD started preparing for SOI production about 2 years ago and expects to be in production by the end of this year.

Intel has been very clear that it's research didn't show any need for SOI until a few months ago, when there was a dramatic turn-around in their position, and they announced they'd go to SOI for .09 if they could be ready by then, otherwise at the .065 node.

Learning that SOI is needed seems to be a lesson gained from experience with copper CPU production. IBM was first to copper, and first to learn of the need for SOI. AMD was later to copper, and later to move to SOI. Intel was about 2 years later than AMD to move to copper, and 2 years late to learning of the need to develop SOI production capacity.

So the FABs they're equipping now will need to be re-equipped to support SOI. What AMD is putting into production now, was designed for SOI.

Much of the equipment may be the same for both processes, but there will certainly be some differences. When you're talking about even modest re-engineering of $20 Billion worth of new plant, the costs are worth considering.
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