AMD to sell old equipment to Russia company

09.11.2006
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is planning to sell its 130 nanometer production equipment to one of the Russian semiconductor manufacturing companies. This step comes as a result of the company's move to 65 nanometer process at its Fab 30 located in Dresden, Germany. The company is also moving from using 200 millimeter silicon wafers to 300 millimeter wafers at the same time.

A Moscow-based Russian-language newspaper Kommersant has initially reported the news Thursday. The newspaper said that AMD was selling the equipment to the integrated circuit manufacturer Angstrem based in Zelenograd, near Moscow. Referring to some unnamed experts the paper said Angstrem would pay AMD from US$250 to $300 million.

AMD's spokeswoman at the Russian representative office contacted by Computerworld Russia declined to confirm that AMD was selling its equipment to Angstrem. Instead, she said that the company was in negotiations regarding equipment and technology transfer with several semiconductor manufacturers in Russia. According to her, no agreement with a particular company has been achieved at this time.

She also said that it was too early to speak whether AMD would place any manufacturing orders to its partners in Russia and these negotiations were not related to AMD's chairman and chief executive officer Hector Ruiz visit to Russia that occurred in late October.

Earlier this year, Sitronics JSC, one of the Russian largest technology companies, announces the deal with STMicroelectronics N.V. under which it was going to license STMicro's 180 nanometer semiconductor manufacturing technology.