Utilizing existing clean rooms, Intel and its Japanese partners are considering renting Sharp's LCD factory to develop back-end technology

According to the latest news reports, Intel and 14 companies have established the "Semiconductor Post-Engineering (Back-End Process) Automation Standardization Technology Portfolio" SATAS and are considering renting Sharp's small LCD factory in Mie Prefecture for technology development.

SATAS Research Association was established in May to reduce the use of manpower in back-end processes, promote the standardization and automation of back-end processes, and ultimately create a completely unmanned back-end production line. is planned to be completed by 2028 Achieve technology commercialization in .

In order to develop related technologies, the SATA Research Association needs to establish a pilot line to verify the operation of standardized automation equipment on the pilot line.

▲ Picture source SATAS Research Association official website, the same below

In recent years, the Japanese LCD industry has shrunk as a whole, and has become more and more More and more Japanese companies are beginning to find new uses for idle LCD factories, and one of the important options is semiconductor factories:

For example, Mitsubishi Electric’s new successful semiconductor factory in Kumamoto Prefecture is It was rebuilt on the basis of its LCD panel factory; Rapidus's advanced packaging factory also rented the idle space of the LCD factory for Seiko Epson projectors.

Semiconductor wafer fabs are similar to LCD factories. They both have high requirements for the overall cleanliness of the production environment. The clean room inside the LCD factory can be reused;

In addition, both semiconductor wafer fabs and LCD factories also require a large amount of water and electricity resources. After being converted into wafer fabs, the existing related infrastructure can also be used.

In terms of Sharp, against the backdrop of losses for two consecutive fiscal years, this old Japanese technology company chose to reduce the scale of its display business and will 60% of the area of ​​SDP Sakai City LCD factory was handed over to SoftBank to build a data center.

According to previous reports by this site, Sharp also said it would reduce the production capacity of its two small LCD factories in Mie Prefecture. The freed production line area can exactly meet the needs of the SATAS Research Association.

In short, in this possible cooperation, SATAS Research Association can reduce the cost of pilot line construction, and Sharp will receive certain additional income, helping it return to profitability.

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