Intel and Micron finally open Singapore NAND Flash plant

FLASH MEMORY MAKERS Intel and Micron have finally opened their $3 billion NAND flash memory fab in Singapore after years of delays.

IM Flash, a joint venture between Intel and Micron, has opened its 300mm wafer 25nm NAND Flash plant in Singapore, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong doing the honours. The plant had been scheduled to open in 2008 but due to various disputes it was put on the back burner until last year. Now the plant is up and running, producing 300mm wafers on a 25nm node process.

Given the delays there was some irony when Chen Kok Sing, the managing director of IM Flash Singapore said that production was ahead of schedule, "IM Flash Singapore was able to start up very successfully with its first wafer out a month ahead of the schedule and with matching quality. This enabled an early shipment release to both Intel and Micron."

IM Flash's Singapore plant joins two facilities in the US, and all three plants will move to the 20nm process announced last week during the course of 2011. In the meantime, IM Flash is concentrating on pumping out 25nm wafers, with the plant to hit full production capacity this year.

Despite its startup pains, IM Flash's Singapore plant is an important milestone for the two firms behind the joint venture, with Micron's chairman Steve Appleton saying that the plant will serve as its Asian hub.

Now that the Singapore fab up and running, the next challenge for IM Flash will be to re-tool the plant for the die shrink to 20nm. µ