Global Foundries makes Dresden fab suitable for 22nm

Global Foundries will make its Fab 1 chip factory in Dresden suitable for the production of 22nm chips. This would be necessary because Fab 8, Global Foundries’ new chip factory in New York, isn’t coming online soon enough.

The 22nm modification of the chip factory was not planned. Originally, the under-construction Fab 8 would be responsible for the production of 22nm chips. This can only start in the second half of 2012. That’s too late, so explains Udo Nothelfer, head of Fab 1 in Dresden, told EETimes. According to Nothelfer, Fab 1 will be used for the production of 22nm samples, followed by mass production.

Fab 1 would actually remain the workhorse for Global Foundries for products based on the so-called 45/40nm and 32/28nm node, but the accelerated need for 22nm production capabilities changes those plans somewhat. Fab 1 currently produces 45nm SOI chips and the chip factory is expected to begin production of 32nm SOI processors in July. In September of this year, chips based on the 28nm process should also roll off the production line.