最近有消息傳出,俄勒岡州經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展局和紐約官員相繼競(jìng)爭(zhēng)邀請(qǐng)芯片制造商來(lái)本地區(qū)投資建廠,項(xiàng)目代號(hào)為 Azalea(“杜鵑計(jì)劃”)。而蘋果將投資 100 億美元,在俄勒岡州建立大型芯片制造工廠。分析師認(rèn)為蘋果之所以進(jìn)行巨額投資建立新工廠是因?yàn)樗麄兿肴〈恰?
另有消息稱,俄勒岡州經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展局已與神秘制造商簽訂了保密協(xié)議。緊接著紐約官員同時(shí)就“杜鵑計(jì)劃”透露了些許消息,半導(dǎo)體工廠占地320萬(wàn)平方英尺,雇傭至少1000名員工。這個(gè)傳聞中神秘的“杜鵑”芯片工廠不是別人,正式臺(tái)灣的半導(dǎo)體制造商臺(tái)積電公司(TSMC),新工廠或許建在紐約,也有可能是俄勒岡州。
消息稱,TSMC與蘋果投資的其實(shí)是同一座工廠,目的是將三星擠出局,這個(gè)工廠將由TSMC和蘋果一起運(yùn)作。而蘋果明年推出的A7X CPU就將在這個(gè)工廠生產(chǎn)。
TSMC能吃下多少蘋果單?
但是 TSMC 的 CEO 則否認(rèn)了這樣的說(shuō)法,稱美國(guó)工廠也在他們考慮范圍之內(nèi),但是與蘋果無(wú)關(guān)。他指出,新的芯片制造工廠將能滿足 Qualcomm 和 Nvidia 等客戶的更多要求。
《臺(tái)灣電子時(shí)報(bào)》認(rèn)為蘋果訂單大量增加是對(duì) TSMC 盈利能力的考驗(yàn),市場(chǎng)觀察者也很關(guān)心 TSMC 將如何分配他們的產(chǎn)能,還有就是如果 2013 年他們接受蘋果訂單,那么他們的收入和盈利將為幾何。
今年 10 月份,TSMC 透露每年蘋果需要 2 億枚 CPU,而他們每月的 28 納米 CPU 產(chǎn)量為 68,000。TSMC CEO 預(yù)計(jì)明年所有生產(chǎn)線都將滿負(fù)荷運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn),明年 1/3 的收入將來(lái)自 28 納米芯片。
另一方面,三星奧斯丁工廠投資 40 億美元以提高產(chǎn)量,該工廠主要為 iPhone、iPad 以及 iPod 的生產(chǎn)處理器。
去三星化的必然結(jié)果
由于三星電子和蘋果公司爭(zhēng)議一直持續(xù)不斷,促使蘋果考慮重新選擇合作伙伴。在過(guò)去兩年里,關(guān)于蘋果和臺(tái)積電合作的傳聞不絕于耳。三星目前生產(chǎn)定制的A-系列處理器,蘋果將這批處理器用在德州奧斯汀工廠的iOS系統(tǒng)設(shè)備上,其中包括iPhone 5內(nèi)的32納米A6芯片處理器和第四代iPad的A6X芯片。預(yù)計(jì)蘋果使用臺(tái)積電的20納米處理器要到2013年底才能實(shí)現(xiàn)。
今年年初,在競(jìng)標(biāo)生產(chǎn)芯片時(shí),臺(tái)積電曾因?yàn)楫a(chǎn)能問題拒絕蘋果和高通。這表示,如果臺(tái)積電完成“杜鵑計(jì)劃”,勢(shì)必會(huì)影響蘋果處理器代工廠的選擇,蘋果設(shè)備芯片或許將來(lái)在美國(guó)本土就可實(shí)現(xiàn)生產(chǎn)。
本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times,版權(quán)所有,謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載
編譯:Luffy Liu
參考英文原文:Report: TSMC confirms U.S. wafer fab site hunt,by Peter Clarke
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Report: TSMC confirms U.S. wafer fab site hunt
Peter Clarke
LONDON – Amid plans to increase capital spending to a record $9 billion in 2013, Taiwanese foundry TSMC is seeking a location for a wafer fab, with the U.S. as a possibility, according to a local news report.
Commenting on speculation that TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) might build a fab in New York, Morris Chang, chairman and CEO of TSMC, said that his company is looking for a location for a wafer fab. "The U.S. is one of the places under consideration. But this has nothing to do with Apple," the Taipei Times quoted Chang as saying. Chang was speaking at the Supply Chain Management Forum in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
It has been speculated that TSMC might be the entity behind Project Azalea that is considering build a factory in New York state, or behind a similarly named project in Oregon. It has also been speculated that TSMC might be considering a U.S. site under pressure from Apple, which has become an important buyers of foundry services for the processors it uses in its smart phones and tablet computers.
TSMC has budgeted $8.3 billion for capital spending in 2012, which it will increase to $9 billion in 2013. At the same time the budget for R&D is $1.37 billion in 2012 and is due to expand by 17 percent to $1.6 billion in 2013, the report quoted Chang as saying.
The capital spending will help TSMC expand manufacturing capacity particularly of leading-edge 28-nm process technology which has been in short supply during 2012. TSMC also expects to bring up a 20-nm bulk planar CMOS process in 2013.
Chang said he expects the global chip market to grow 3 percent next year after a fall of 2 percent in 2012, although he expects TSMC to grow by 15 to 20 percent in 2013, the report added.
責(zé)編:Quentin