Europe’s Unique Chip Factory Arrives in Novara | Festina Lente - Your leading source of AI news | Turtles AI
Europe’s Unique Chip Factory Arrives in Novara
Isabella V1 July 2024
SILICON BOX INVESTS 3.2 BILLION IN NOVARA : ITALY PREPARES TO BECOME A LEADER IN SEMICONDUCTORS
Young Singaporean startup Silicon Box, which specializes in chiplet assembly, has chosen Novara for its new plant, a €3.2 billion project that represents a significant step for Italy in the semiconductor sector. Silicon Box is not involved in the traditional production of processors, but has devised an innovative method to colegate chiplets ( small specialized chips) with extremely short connections, thus improving processor performance and opening new frontiers in chip design.
The Novara plant will be the first of its kind in Europe and will handle the final stages of chip production : die cutting from the wafer, interconnection, testing and packaging.
This process is similar to what Intel had planned for Italy. Italian authorities have enthusiastically welcomed Silicon Box’s investment, seeing it as an opportunity to create skilled jobs and strengthen Italy’s position in high technology.
The plant, once fully operational, is expected to create 1,600 direct jobs, in addition to indirect jobs related to construction and logistics. In addition, the plant will be built and operated following European principles of environmental sustainability.
Piedmont Regional President Alberto Cirio described Silicon Box’s investment as a first step toward transforming Piedmont into Italy’s Silicon Valley. Thanks to its strategic location and infrastructure being developed, such as the TAV and the Third Valico, the region aims to become a major technology hub in Europe.
The arrival of Silicon Box in Novara represents an important opportunity for Italy, which is part of a context of growing interest in the semiconductor sector. STMicroelectronics also recently announced a 5 billion euro investment to upgrade its Catania plant, which is dedicated to the production of silicon carbide wafers for the electric automotive industry.