In addition to China, Russia also has semiconductors as one of its main focuses. According to a Tom’s Hardware report citing local media CNews, the country will spend 240 billion rubles (2.5 billion) to fund a program aimed at replacing 70% of foreign chip manufacturing equipment by 2030. The company reportedly secured more than US$40 million.
The initiative reportedly includes launching 110 R&D projects to reduce dependence on imported wafer fabrication tools and ultimately manufacture chips using 28nm-class process technology. It is said to be included. However, it is worth noting that the total investment amount is 1/57th of what Russia plans to spend on defense in the war with Ukraine in 2025 alone, the report notes.
To put things into perspective, domestic chipmakers such as Angstrem and Mikron can manufacture chips using mature technologies such as 65nm and 90nm nodes, according to the report. However, of the 400 tools used in chip manufacturing in the country, only 12% are currently manufactured domestically.
Moreover, the situation has worsened due to sanctions, with the price of essential goods increasing by 40% to 50% due to the need to smuggle them into Russia, the report shows.
Therefore, to address these challenges, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, in cooperation with the government-run MIET, has developed an initiative that addresses multiple aspects of chip manufacturing, including manufacturing tools, raw materials, and electronic design automation (EDA) tools. It is said that he did. to the report.
However, Tom’s Hardware’s report leaves many of the specific details somewhat vague, raising concerns about the feasibility of this effort.
For example, one of the key goals of this effort is the development of lithography equipment for 350nm and 130nm process technologies, but there is a very large gap between them. Russia also plans to domestically manufacture lithography systems capable of supporting 65nm and 90nm process technologies. Nevertheless, while this represents a major advance in the country’s microelectronics production, it will still be 25 to 28 years behind the industry’s leading edge, the report said.
Please note that this article quotes information from Tom’s Hardware and CNews.
Previous article
(News) TSMC Announces Expanded Partnership with Amkor to Collaborate on Advanced Packaging in Arizona
Next article
(News) Chinese research team achieves new breakthrough in semiconductor field
