[Korea IT News] Foundry-Fabless Win-Win Model to Increase 'MPW' Business to Twice a Year (Mar 12, 2019)
Foundry-Fabless Win-Win Model to Increase 'MPW' Business to Twice a Year
The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association is planning to increase its business of supporting production of 'Multi Project Wafer (MPW)' to twice a year this year. Its goal is to promote co-prosperity between South Korean foundry businesses and fabless businesses and establish a solid semiconductor ecosystem in South Korea.
According to industries on the 12th, the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association implemented MPW support business once last year, but it is going to increase its participation in fabless businesses by increasing it to twice a year this year.
MPW refers to placing various types of prototype chip designs on a single wafer. Fabless companies are able to save on cost of producing prototypes that will be used for research and development.
The association will support 70 percent of the cost of purchasing "mask," a glass plate used in the "Photo process" in which circuits are drawn on wafers.
"Each fabless company has a different target time for product development, and it is conducted twice a year to reflect the company's plans as flexible as possible," said an official at the Semiconductor Industry Association, explaining why it increased the number of applications.
Samsung Electronics will participate in this project as a foundry company. It supports 90nm (nanometer), 80nm e-flash (embedded flash) process, and 130nm power semiconductor process. Last year, Samsung Electronics designated South Korean design house companies HanaTec, GAONCHIPS, and Alpha Holdings as partners and started MPW services. Its strategy is to increase sales of its semiconductor foundry business through 'multi-category small-volume production system'.
In the first half of this year, four fabless companies including Sugars, Iron Device, TechWidU, and S&Z will participate. The association will complete its demand survey this month and recruit companies to participate in the second half. Besides popular e-flash and power semiconductor processes, it is also considering introducing CIS (CMOS Image Sensor) processes.
Companies participating in the project also have high expectations. Lee Hyung-kyu, CEO of Sugar's, who creates MIPI (Mobile Business Processor Interface) Intellectual Property (IP), an interface that processes mobile graphic data, "The goal is to significantly increase performance in this business so that MIPI for electronic equipment as well as mobile products can be implemented", he said. "Starting with participation in this project, we plan to make MIPI prototypes at various foundry around the world."
According to industries on the 12th, the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association implemented MPW support business once last year, but it is going to increase its participation in fabless businesses by increasing it to twice a year this year.
MPW refers to placing various types of prototype chip designs on a single wafer. Fabless companies are able to save on cost of producing prototypes that will be used for research and development.
The association will support 70 percent of the cost of purchasing "mask," a glass plate used in the "Photo process" in which circuits are drawn on wafers.
"Each fabless company has a different target time for product development, and it is conducted twice a year to reflect the company's plans as flexible as possible," said an official at the Semiconductor Industry Association, explaining why it increased the number of applications.
Samsung Electronics will participate in this project as a foundry company. It supports 90nm (nanometer), 80nm e-flash (embedded flash) process, and 130nm power semiconductor process. Last year, Samsung Electronics designated South Korean design house companies HanaTec, GAONCHIPS, and Alpha Holdings as partners and started MPW services. Its strategy is to increase sales of its semiconductor foundry business through 'multi-category small-volume production system'.
In the first half of this year, four fabless companies including Sugars, Iron Device, TechWidU, and S&Z will participate. The association will complete its demand survey this month and recruit companies to participate in the second half. Besides popular e-flash and power semiconductor processes, it is also considering introducing CIS (CMOS Image Sensor) processes.
Companies participating in the project also have high expectations. Lee Hyung-kyu, CEO of Sugar's, who creates MIPI (Mobile Business Processor Interface) Intellectual Property (IP), an interface that processes mobile graphic data, "The goal is to significantly increase performance in this business so that MIPI for electronic equipment as well as mobile products can be implemented", he said. "Starting with participation in this project, we plan to make MIPI prototypes at various foundry around the world."
In addition, as Samsung Electronics has opened its foundry facilities since last year, there are views that domestic fabless businesses will be able to utilize domestic foundry.
"It is true that South Korean fabless companies have used Chinese and Taiwanese foundry so far," said Ahn Ki-hyun, executive vice president of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association. "To have a solid semiconductor ecosystem in the future, continuous cooperation between domestic foundry and fabless is needed."
By Reporter Kang Hae-ryeong kang@etnews.com