AMD Zen 5 Status Report: EPYC "Turin" Is Sampling, Silicon Looking Great <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21380/amd-zen-5based-epyc-turin-is-sampling-silicon-looking-great"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21380/amd-epyc-678_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a>As part of AMD's Q1'2024 earnings announcement this week, the company is offering a brief status update on some of their future products set to launch later this year. Most important among these is an update on their Zen 5 CPU architecture, which is expected to launch for both client and server products later this year. Highlighting their progress so far, AMD is confirming that EPYC "Turin" processors have begun sampling, and that these early runs of AMD's next-gen datacenter chips are meeting the company's expectations. "Looking ahead, we are very excited about our next-gen Turin family of EPYC processors featuring our Zen 5 core," said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of AMD, at the conference call with analysts and investors (via <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4687823-advanced-micro-devices-inc-amd-q1-2024-earnings-call-transcript">SeekingAlpha</a>). "We are widely sampling Turin, and the silicon is looking great. In the cloud, the significant performance and efficiency increases of Turin position us well to capture an even larger share of both first and third-party workloads." Overall, it looks like AMD is on-track to solidify its position, and perhaps even increase its datacenter market share with its EPYC Turin processors. According to AMD, the company's server partners are developing a 30% larger number of designs for Turin than they did Genoa. This underscores how AMD's partners are preparing for even more market share growth on the back of AMD's ongoing success, not to mention the improved performance and power efficiency that the Zen 5 architecture should offer. "In addition, there are 30% more Turin platforms in development from our server partners, compared to 4th Generation EPYC platforms, increasing our enterprise and with new solutions optimized for additional workloads," Su said. "Turin remains on track to launch later this year." AMD's EPYC 'Turin' processors will be drop-in compatible with existing SP5 platforms (i.e., will come in an LGA 6096 package), which will facilitate its faster ramp and adoption of the platform both by cloud giants and server makers. In addition, AMD's next-generation EPYC CPUs are expected to feature more than 96 cores and a more versatile memory subsystem. CPUs

U.S. Signs $1.5B in CHIPS Act Agreements With Amkor and SKhynix for Chip Packaging Plants <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21515/us-signs-chips-act-packaging-agreements-with-amkor-skhynix-15b"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21515/amkor-packaging-1-678_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Under the CHIPS & Science Act, the U.S. government provided tens of billions of dollars in grants and loans to the world's leading maker of chips, such as Intel, Samsung, and TSMC, which will significantly expand the country's semiconductor production industry in the coming years. However, most chips are typically tested, assembled, and packaged in Asia, which has left the American supply chain incomplete. Addressing this last gap in the government's domestic chip production plans, these past couple of weeks the U.S. government signed memorandums of understanding worth about $1.5 billion with Amkor and SK hynix to support their efforts to build chip packaging facilities in the U.S.</p>

<h3>Amkor to Build Advanced Packaging Facility with Apple in Mind</h3>

<p>Amkor <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21175/amkor-to-build-2-billion-chip-packaging-fab-in-arizona-primarily-for-apple">plans to build a $2 billion advanced packaging facility near Peoria, Arizona</a>, to test and assemble chips produced by TSMC at its Fab 21 near Phoenix, Arizona. The company signed a MOU that offers $400 million in direct funding and access to $200 million in loans under the CHIPS & Science Act. In addition, the company plans to take advantage of a 25% investment tax credit on eligible capital expenditures.</p>

<p>Set to be strategically positioned near TSMC's upcoming Fab 21 complex in Arizona, Amkor's Peoria facility will occupy 55 acres and, when fully completed, will feature over 500,000 square feet (46,451 square meters) of cleanroom space, more than twice the size of Amkor's advanced packaging site in Vietnam. Although the company has not disclosed the exact capacity or the specific technologies the facility will support, it is expected to cater to a wide range of industries, including automotive, high-performance computing, and mobile technologies. This suggests the new plant will offer diverse packaging solutions, including traditional, 2.5D, and 3D technologies.</p>

<p>Amkor has collaborated extensively with Apple on the vision and initial setup of the Peoria facility, as Apple is slated to be the facility's first and largest customer, marking a significant commitment from the tech giant. This partnership highlights the importance of the new facility in reinforcing the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and positioning Amkor as a key partner for companies relying on TSMC's manufacturing capabilities. The project is expected to generate around 2,000 jobs and is scheduled to begin operations in 2027. </p>

<h3>SK hynix to Build HBM4 in the U.S.</h3>

<p>This week SK hynix also signed a preliminary agreement with the U.S. government to receive up to $450 million in direct funding and $500 million in loans to build an advanced memory packaging facility in West Lafayette, Indiana. </p>

<p>The proposed facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2028, which means that it will assemble HBM4 or HBM4E memory. Meanwhile, DRAM devices for high bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks will still be produced in South Korea. Nonetheless, packing finished HBM4/HBM4E in the U.S. and possibly integrating these memory modules with high-end processors is a big deal.</p>

<p>In addition to building its packaging plant, SK hynix plans to collaborate with Purdue University and other local research institutions to advance semiconductor technology and packaging innovations. This partnership is intended to bolster research and development in the region, positioning the facility as a hub for AI technology and skilled employment.</p>

<p>Sources: <a href="https://ir.amkor.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amkor-signs-preliminary-memorandum-terms-us-department-commerce">Amkor</a>, <a href="https://news.skhynix.com/preliminary-mou-terms-signed-with-us-doc-for-advanced-packaging-facility-in-indiana/">SK hynix</a></p>
</p> Semiconductors

U.S. Signs $1.5B in CHIPS Act Agreements With Amkor and SKhynix for Chip Packaging Plants
Under the CHIPS & Science Act, the U.S. government provided tens of billions of dollars in grants and loans to the world's leading maker of chips, such as Intel, Samsung, and TSMC, which will significantly expand the country's semiconductor production industry in the coming years. However, most chips are typically tested, assembled, and packaged in Asia, which has left the American supply chain incomplete. Addressing this last gap in the government's domestic chip production plans, these past couple of weeks the U.S. government signed memorandums of understanding worth about $1.5 billion with Amkor and SK hynix to support their efforts to build chip packaging facilities in the U.S.

Amkor to Build Advanced Packaging Facility with Apple in Mind

Amkor plans to build a $2 billion advanced packaging facility near Peoria, Arizona, to test and assemble chips produced by TSMC at its Fab 21 near Phoenix, Arizona. The company signed a MOU that offers $400 million in direct funding and access to $200 million in loans under the CHIPS & Science Act. In addition, the company plans to take advantage of a 25% investment tax credit on eligible capital expenditures.

Set to be strategically positioned near TSMC's upcoming Fab 21 complex in Arizona, Amkor's Peoria facility will occupy 55 acres and, when fully completed, will feature over 500,000 square feet (46,451 square meters) of cleanroom space, more than twice the size of Amkor's advanced packaging site in Vietnam. Although the company has not disclosed the exact capacity or the specific technologies the facility will support, it is expected to cater to a wide range of industries, including automotive, high-performance computing, and mobile technologies. This suggests the new plant will offer diverse packaging solutions, including traditional, 2.5D, and 3D technologies.

Amkor has collaborated extensively with Apple on the vision and initial setup of the Peoria facility, as Apple is slated to be the facility's first and largest customer, marking a significant commitment from the tech giant. This partnership highlights the importance of the new facility in reinforcing the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and positioning Amkor as a key partner for companies relying on TSMC's manufacturing capabilities. The project is expected to generate around 2,000 jobs and is scheduled to begin operations in 2027.

SK hynix to Build HBM4 in the U.S.

This week SK hynix also signed a preliminary agreement with the U.S. government to receive up to $450 million in direct funding and $500 million in loans to build an advanced memory packaging facility in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The proposed facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2028, which means that it will assemble HBM4 or HBM4E memory. Meanwhile, DRAM devices for high bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks will still be produced in South Korea. Nonetheless, packing finished HBM4/HBM4E in the U.S. and possibly integrating these memory modules with high-end processors is a big deal.

In addition to building its packaging plant, SK hynix plans to collaborate with Purdue University and other local research institutions to advance semiconductor technology and packaging innovations. This partnership is intended to bolster research and development in the region, positioning the facility as a hub for AI technology and skilled employment.

Sources: Amkor, SK hynix

Semiconductors

November 19, 2024