Intel opens high-volume 45nm factory

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Intel this week started production at a new $3 billion factory in Arizona that is its first to mass-produce microchips with circuits almost a third smaller than before.

The new facility, called Fab 32, is manufacturing a chip design known as Penryn - scheduled to hit the market on 12 November - that has circuits just 45 nanometers (nm) wide, compared to the 65nm that is used now.

The design uses a transistor that Intel unveiled last year, an advance that was hailed as the biggest breakthrough in four decades to the basic building block of microchips.

Smaller circuits usually translate into higher computing speeds and lower energy consumption. Chipmakers also see improved productivity because they can squeeze more circuits onto a given area of silicon.

"The opening of Fab 32 in Arizona today is a testament to Intel's continued investment in our most strategic asset - the most advanced, environmentally friendly manufacturing network in the world," said Paul Otellini, Intel's president and chief executive.

"The magic of 45nm and our new transistor design allow us to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient processors to our customers across the entire spectrum of market segments, from the most powerful servers to a variety of mobile devices and everything in between."

The factory, located in Chandler, Arizona, where Intel has several other facilities, helps the world's biggest chip maker maintain its manufacturing edge over rival AMD, which now makes processors on 65nm technology and expects to move to 45nm next year.

(Additional reporting by Maggie Holland, IT PRO)

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