There is some controversy regarding the announcement recently that "Intel will invest $6Bn to upgrade its Kiryat Gat fab, it looks like the drama that has gripped Intel for the past two years as it decided where it would build its 10 nanometre fabrication facility is officially over". The Irish, for example, believe it might be a bluff. Nevertheless, ZDNet has a story covering it.
Intel will be upgrading its main Israeli chip manufacturing facility, the company announced this week.
No details were released on what the upgrade plan will entail or how much money will be involved, but reports in the Israeli media based on sources inside the company said that the upgrade would allow the facility to manufacture 10nm chips, the chips that will feature in the new wearable technology, Internet of Things, and perceptual computing devices that Intel sees a big future in. According to those sources, Intel will invest $6bn in the upgrade.
Although the details are still secret, the Israeli government officials in a position to know more than most were in a very celebratory mood. Finance minister Yair Lapid called the decision "an expression of faith in Israel's economy", adding these investments will create thousands of jobs directly for Intel, and tens of thousands of jobs in the rest of the economy". Economics minister Naftali Bennett said: "We competed with the whole world and Intel chose us. This is the best birthday present the country could get," with the announcement coming days before Israel's 66th Independence Day. And prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself said that the announcement was "the culmination of a process we have been working on for several years". During those several years, Intel was said to be trying to decide where to build the 10nm plant in Israel or Ireland, with the plant seen as one of the main production facilities for Intel chips in the coming years.
There is, of course, more if you read the full article.
(Score: 4, Informative) by FatPhil on Sunday May 04 2014, @09:10AM
All modulo about a decade of failing memory, but the thrust is basically accurate.
If a country appears too needy for megacorps, then a megacorp will quite happily fuck them.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 04 2014, @12:20PM
...given track record of said countries, US and Isreal, it's a scary future for chip manufacturing.
Maybe we should just accept our new backdoor chip making overloards.t acks-backdoors-and-electronic-component-qualificat ion/ [infosecinstitute.com]
http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/hardware-at
[/tinfoil hat]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Angry Jesus on Sunday May 04 2014, @02:23PM
Having sat through a number of mandatory security briefings as a requirement for holding a security clearance, I can say that Israel is considered at least as much of an espionage threat as China.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 04 2014, @04:07PM
puts tinfoil hat back on.
Your comment certainly doesn't make me feel better.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday May 04 2014, @07:12PM
From this [slate.com] article:
Well, if the American corporations can act as extensions of America's intelligence services, why can't those of any other nation?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by RamiK on Sunday May 04 2014, @04:52PM
Regardless of the manufacturer or the country of origin, the only way to make secure electronics is an open source design that is verified using an automated electron microscope comparison. e.g. Even if you make the hardware yourself there's no telling if your manufacturing plant/process have been compromised unless you are able to review your design and compare the results to that design.
compiling...