AMD, Fujitsu Joint Venture Breaks Ground on Second Flash Memory Fab; $1.2 Billion Investment.SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 1996--The AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, www.amd.com) A major manufacturer of semiconductor devices including x86-compatible CPUs, embedded processors, flash memories, programmable logic devices and networking chips. and Fujitsu joint venture, Fujitsu-AMD Semiconductor Ltd. (FASL FASL Feet Above Sea Level FASL Fujitsu Amd Semiconductor Limited FASL Fellow, Academic Society of London ), today began construction on a new, state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. plant for the production of Flash memories. The plant will be located in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan. At full capacity, the $1.2 billion plant is currently planned to produce more than 6,000 8-inch wafers a week. Initial production will use 0.35 micron process technology, migrating to 0.25 micron. Shipments are planned to commence around year-end 1997. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Rich Forte, AMD group vice president, communications and components group, and a director of FASL, "Our joint investments in manufacturing represent our strong commitment to lead the growing Flash market, providing customers worldwide with the volume products to meet projected demand." In 1995, AMD and Fujitsu had an estimated combined Flash memory market share of 40 percent, according to market researchers Dataquest, San Jose San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. , Calif. Industry Standard Architecture AMD pioneered the single-power-supply sectored architecture Flash memory. AMD's first-generation single-power-supply devices, the Am29Fxxx family of 5.0 Volt-only Flash memories, lowered power dissipation and reduced the cost of systems by eliminating DC-to-DC converters required by 12.0 Volt Flash memories. AMD's latest Flash generation -- the Am29LVxxx 2.7 Volt-only family -- satisfy the market's growing demand for battery-powered electronic devices. Endorsed by some of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers -- AMD, Fujitsu, and SGS-Thompson -- AMD's single-power-supply architecture is evolving to become a global standard, according to Forte. Flash Applications Flash memories are widely used in embedded applications to store control code. Among the applications for Flash memories are cellular phones, networking, telecom, PCs and peripherals, and memory cards. Manufacturers prefer using Flash memory in these designs as code can be electrically erased and modified a major advantage when product requirements change. Fujitsu AMD Semiconductor Ltd. FASL was formally launched in April, 1993, to manufacture jointly developed non-volatile memory Refers to memory chips that hold their content without power being applied. It may refer to chips that are not changeable, such as ROMs and PROMs, or to chips that can be rewritten many times such as flash memory. products. The two FASL fabrication facilities will represent more than $2 billion in investments by the two companies. The new facility is planned to be more than 302,000 square feet overall with 88,000 square feet of cleanroom space. It is projected to employ more than 600 people when at full capacity. FASL's president is Kimio Yanagida. Flash Market The Flash memory market was estimated to be $1.8 billion in 1995. In-Stat, Scottsdale, Ariz., forecasts it to grow rapidly for the next several years. The fastest growing portion of the market are single-power supply Flash memories, such as those currently being produced by the first FASL facility. Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Statement Except for historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward- looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely development of wafer fabrication Wafer Fabrication is a procedure composed of many repeated sequential processes to produce complete electrical or photonic circuits. Examples include production of radio frequency (RF) amplifiers, LEDs, optical computer components, and CPUs for computers. process technologies, the effect of changing economic conditions, and such risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports. About AMD Focusing on personal and networked computing and communications markets, AMD produces microprocessors and related peripherals, Flash memories, programmable logic devices, and circuits for telecommunications and networking applications. Founded in 1969, AMD has sales and manufacturing facilities worldwide. -0- Note to Editors: WORLD WIDE WEB: Press announcements and other information about AMD are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web. Type http://www.amd.com at the URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. prompt. GENERAL NOTICE: Product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT: AMD Elaine Smith
Internet: elaine.smith@amd.com |
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