Intel confirms $2.5 billion fab in China

Intel Corp. confirmed Monday that it will build a $2.5 billion, 300mm wafer fab in the northern Chinese city of Dalian. Fab 68 will begin construction later this year and is expected to go online in 2010, using 90-nanometer technology to "initially" make chipsets. (Source)

This will boost China's fast developing IC industry. China's SMIC is now using 90 nano technology in its 12-inch wafer fab in Beijing. SMIC now has four 8-inch fab plants and one 12-inch fab plant and is building another 12-inch fab in Wuhan.

Revenue from China's local semiconductor chip industry grew more than 43 per cent to exceed $13bn in 2006, a research and consulting firm has reported. (Source)