Archive for the ‘semiconductors’ Category

New Jobs in Irish Nanoscience Research?

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
Nanoscience gets funding

Nanoscience gets funding

New Jobs in Irish Nanoscience Research?

Nanoscience research institute CRANN is to create new jobs in Research & Development, leading research projects including cancer research and computer chips.

The majority of these seventeen newly created  positions are to be in the Institute of Molecular Medicine and TCD School of Medicine in conjunction with CRANN. This particular team will be aiming at nanomedical technology in the early diagnosis of cancer.

The remaining 5 positions are to be with Intel as CRANN focuses on developing computer chips for the next generation.
Professor John Boland, Director of CRANN says “Ireland is now globally recognised for it’s expertise in the area of nanoscience, as evidenced by the large amounts of non-exchequer funding we are winning through competitive international research projects.” He goes on to say “Research is a global competition and we need to contuinue to develop our knowledge base and expertise to make Ireland a true innovation centre”

The investment was seen as a “huge vote of confidence” by Professor Dermot Kelleher of TCD School of Medicine.

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Posted in Biotechnology, Computer Science, Nano Devices, Nanotechnology, R&D, Research and Development, science jobs, semiconductors | No Comments »

Israel or Ireland- where will Intel choose?

Friday, March 5th, 2010
Israel..... or Ireland

Israel..... or Ireland

Israel or Ireland- where will Intel choose? Readers of this blog will remember recently I asked whether Intel would choose to locate their next FAB facility in Israel or Ireland?

At the time it seemed given recent political events that Ireland might have been placed higher up the rankings but it appears from not only well informed local sources but also from legitimate and established government sources that this decision may actually be moving heavily in Israel’s favour.

The decision for Intel to locate its next major FAB to the Kiryat Gat facility will be a serious blow to confidence in Ireland Inc. Considerable hopes are vested in Intel choosing Ireland given the recent completion of retrofit activity at Intel Lexlip and the fact that it has been almost 5 years since the last major Intel project FAB 24-2 came to a close at  Leixlip.

But why choose Israel given previous concerns? Well its perhaps nothing to do with politics and actually everything to do with politics.

Israel unlike Ireland is unconstrained in providing direct government funding for FDI projects such as Intel’s due to EU legislation. Apart this, given latest form from the Irish government when it comes to pleas for urgent and proactive support to commercial enterprise, Ireland has taken very much a back seat approach. The comparrison  with Israel could not be more  stark with direct active and highly creative support from the Israeli Finance and Enterprise Ministry which is doing all it can to bend, twist and manhandle existing legislation to ensure that Intel comes to Israel.

Ireland could obviously learn a few leasons from Israel…

Posted in Computer Science, Tech News, semiconductors | No Comments »

Intel Ireland-Whats New?

Friday, February 19th, 2010
Intel Ireland or Intel Israel- where will the money go?

Intel Ireland or Intel Israel- where will the money go?

Intel Ireland-Whats New? For Intel Ireland the last major new project was the $2 Billion Fab 24-2 announced in May 2004 running 64 nanometer process technology  (the size of wafer fab that chips are run from) . The next project announcement for investment on new semiconductor fabrication technology will likely be announced in March.

Up for competition against Ireland for this investment decision will be Israel with their FAB 28 Kiryat Gat  facility located close to the border with Gaza and likely to be competing heavily both politically and financially for this project which will involve use of the latest 22 nanometer process technology.

To do so at Kiryat Gat will require almost $3 Billion in additional investment at a site that is within 15 miles (or missile range) of Gaza. This it appears is not the only concsideration given concerns over Iranian Nuclear proliferation and a possible 2nd incursion into Gaza in early summer following on from a very recent assasination of a major Hamas figure head which has led to charges of MOSAD involvement using stolen EU passports.

Yet Israel is a major contender for this investment and given Irelands current economic woes we are not flavor of the month when it comes to high labor and utility costs which threaten still to undermine our international competitiveness.   So the question that is on everyones minds in Ireland and Israel is when it comes down to the wire-which location will Intel choose?

To date Intel has invested over $8billion at their Leixlip site in Kildare. Will they continue to invest or is this the end of the line? What do our readers think?

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Posted in Tech News, science jobs, semiconductors | No Comments »

Intels next generation is here.

Monday, December 21st, 2009
Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication Technician

Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication Technician

Intels next generation is here. The Atom range of chips sets will power the next generation of note books and entry level PC’s and hopefuly for Intel steal a march on its major competitors- notable AMD. Original Engineering Manufacturers have already indicated their commitment to using the new processors in their systems within weeks, the NM450 and NM10 are already lined up for the Notebooks and the entry level PC’s are expected to utilise either the D410 or D510 processors.

All of this is good news for the Intel Ireland facility based at Leixlip which has seen major investment in the FAB 24 and FAB 24-2 wafer fabrication facilities which will undoutedly be ramping up to take account of  increased demand in the coming months.

Leixlip  has several Wafer FABbrication facilties the newest of which opened only 2 years ago and which will newly see the opening of an advanced R&D facility.

 

Currently Intel is upgrading  and retrofitting both the FAB 10 and FAB 14 facilities which will add increased manufacturing capacity to a plant which is  already operating at peak demand.

Posted in Computer Science, R&D, Research and Development, Uncategorized, semiconductors | No Comments »