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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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According to The Oregonian, Business Oregon, the state's economic development agency, and officials in New York may both be competing to attract a massive chip manufacturing company, which uses the code name "Azalea."
Business Oregon -- the state's economic development agency -- confirms that it's recruiting a company that goes by the codename "Azalea." The department declined to discuss details of the effort, citing a nondisclosure agreement with the unnamed company.

However, officials in New York have been actively pursuing what's known there as "Project Azalea." Documents obtained by The Business Review, an Albany, N.Y., weekly, describe that project as a 3.2-million-square-foot semiconductor factory that would employ at least 1,000 people.

The cost of building and equipping a new semiconductor factory -- a fab, in the chip industry's parlance -- runs in the billions of dollars. That's attracted great interest to the chatter around Azalea, which at this point is largely speculative.

Within the chip industry, the theory is that the fab would be a contract facility to build microprocessors for Apple's mobile devices, the iPhone and iPad.
The EETimes believes that this mysterious "Azalea" chip factory is none other than the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which appears to be waffling between creating a new factory in New York or Oregon.

There have been several rumors over the last two years linking Apple to TSMC, pegging the semiconductor company as Apple's likely partner as Apple moves away from Samsung because of the ongoing dispute between the two companies.

Samsung currently builds all of the custom A-series processors that Apple uses in its iOS devices in an Austin, Texas plant, including the newest 32-nanometer process A6 chip used in the iPhone 5 and the A6X chip used in the fourth generation iPad. Rumors have, however, suggested that Apple is interested in making a deal with TSMC instead, both to cut ties with Samsung and to take advantage of TSMC's 20-nanometer process for use in late 2013.

Earlier this year, TSMC turned down both Apple and Qualcomm, who placed bids for exclusive access to TSMC's chip production, but the company did indicate that it might possibly devote a factory to a single customer. This suggests that if TSMC is indeed behind "Project Azalea," then the upcoming U.S.-based chip factory could potentially be used to create chips for Apple's iDevices.

Article Link: 'Project Azalea' - A TSMC Chip Factory Dedicated to Building Processors for iDevices?
 

clibinarius

macrumors 6502a
Aug 26, 2010
671
70
NY
If this is true, I wouldn't mind seeing some production diverted from Samsung. Though I doubt it'll have the capacity to replace Samsung, nor is that the intention.
 

ThunderSkunk

macrumors 68040
Dec 31, 2007
3,782
3,990
Milwaukee Area
Will buy US-made anything at this point.

After reading up on quantum computing, it'd be pretty wild to see Apple spend the $ and do something under their own roof that just up and blew everyones doors off .
 

Dekema2

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
856
437
WNY or Utica
Oh Apple! The decrepit, buckle of the Rust Belt city Buffalo is yearning for your jobs! Help revive a true American city like no other company can!
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
In the Arab world, stealing gets your hands cut off.

In this case Samsung just lost a lot of business.
 

apple-win

macrumors regular
Dec 4, 2012
226
0
Intel has several fabs in Hillsbro Oregon. So yeah, go Oregon!

Many Californians like to move out to Oregon, so does semiconductor fab :) More chemical to you! (I meant Oregon)

If I could choose which industry stays and which goes, I prefer software to stay, hardware to go. I don't like polution.
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
That explanation was more convoluted than it needed to be. I had to read it twice to get the idea that nothing particularly complicated was happening.
 

Cobra611

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2012
143
18
Beacon, NY
Hey Apple...

there is a TON of unused clean-room space ready and waiting for you at the IBM East Fishkill, NY complex!!! With experienced workers ready for employment!!!
 

SockRolid

macrumors 68000
Jan 5, 2010
1,560
118
Almost Rock Solid
...suggested that Apple is interested in making a deal with TSMC instead, both to cut ties with Samsung and to take advantage of TSMC's 20-nanometer process for use in late 2013.

And cutting ties with Samsung isn't just sour grapes. By ordering specific components from Samsung, Apple is tipping off Samsung with future iDevice specs (and possible new products).

Apple is also developing their own advanced chip designs, which they would obviously want to hide from competitors. Apple was just awarded a patent on SoC package-on-package technology used in its AX chips. That kind of technology is best kept away from Samsung, patents or no patents.

Source:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/12/18/apple-secures-system-on-chip-patent-protecting-future-a-series-processors
 

G51989

macrumors 68030
Feb 25, 2012
2,530
10
NYC NY/Pittsburgh PA
Hey Apple...

there is a TON of unused clean-room space ready and waiting for you at the IBM East Fishkill, NY complex!!! With experienced workers ready for employment!!!

To be honest, I don't think IBM is really interested in any kind of Apple Products, IBM focuses on Super Computer/High end server kinda processors.
 

apple-win

macrumors regular
Dec 4, 2012
226
0
Hey Apple...

there is a TON of unused clean-room space ready and waiting for you at the IBM East Fishkill, NY complex!!! With experienced workers ready for employment!!!

Seriously, there is no need to have another fab on the planet earth. Semiconductor manufacturing is not a clean business.

If there is not enough fab capacity, raise the price for consumers. It is law of supply and demand.

Modern electronic industry belongs to entertainment sector. It's all about watching the same Hollywood movies (TV shows) wherever or whenever people want to. It requires a lot of PhD to make this entertainment happens. I wish Apple, IBM, Intel and etc, switch gear to, let's say... medical, energy, transportation sectors. It's better for mankind.
 

MattInOz

macrumors 68030
Jan 19, 2006
2,760
0
Sydney
Well who else could TSMC target to get their customer base up.
Samsung are pretty much biggest Android device makers. Not many other big wins possible in that space. Windows Mobile and RIM are interesting but not enough demand to drive interesting things.

General computing, games machines and the like are all fair mature saturated.
Really leaves Apple as their only option to do something marketable or interesting.
 

Axemantitan

macrumors 6502a
Mar 16, 2008
535
96
Oregon's single-sales factor business tax will weigh in its favor. It is a state law that says that if a product is manufactured in Oregon and sold outside of Oregon, the manufacturer is not liable for state income tax on the sale.
 
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