Crolles2 is dead as a development centre for advanced basic process technology. As from 2008, STMicroelectronics (ST) will be getting its core CMOS process technology from one of the other international process development consortia.
See Mannerisms blog ST and Europe drop basic chip process R&D
With NXP pulling out of the Crolles2 Alliance, followed by Freescale announcing it was going in with IBM for process development, and with IBM announcing it would not join Crolles2, all eyes were on ST to see what it would do.
"For high performance logic, this is the last year of the current alliance," Carlo Bozotti, CEO of ST, said in Paris today.
"Starting from the beginning of next year, the model will be different," continued Bozotti, "we have decided that, starting with 32nm, we will align ourseves with industry leaders in core CMOS technology. Proprietary technology derivatives will be developed at Crolles."
Asked where ST would get its core CMOS process technology from, ST's COO, Alain Dutheil, replied: "There are several consortia in the world today developing technology. The idea is to make an alliance with one of these consortia to provide the core technology, and have the technology transferred to Crolles, and we will develop derivative technology at Crolles."
Bozotti said he had provided one year's notice to Crolles of ST's intentions. He said ST's budget for Crolles this year would remain unchanged from last year. But, despite repeated questioning, he refused to divulge how much that budget is.
ST has the capacity for 2,500 300mm wafers per week at Crolles2, and this could go up to 4,000 wpw if ST facilitates new capacity. It has no intention of doing that this year, according to Dutheil.
NXP's withdrawal at the end of this year, means that NXP's share of the wafer output from Crolles2 could be taken up by ST.
ST's strategy to get asset lighter means that it could be sourcing 45 per cent of its adanced CMOS logic wafer requirements from sub-contractors.