Silicon Box adds detail to its Italian job

News | March 12, 2024

By Peter Clarke

Cette publication existe aussi en Français

Silicon Box has confirmed it plans to collaborate with the Italian government and invest up to €3.2 billion (about US$3.5 billion) for a chiplet assembly and test factory in the north of the country.

The unit will replicate Silicon Box’s factory in Singapore, with planning for the facility beginning immediately and with construction to commence as soon as the European Commission approves the planned financial support from the Italian state.

Silicon Box also confirmed the facility could employ directly as many as 1,600 people when it is fully equipped.

Silicon Box did not indicate how big a subsidy it expects Italy and/or Europe to provide. It is notable that memory chip maker Micron Technology Inc. (Boise, Idaho) has been promised 70 percent of the cost of its Indian packaging plant in Gujurat, India (see India will pay for 70 percent of Micron’s US$2.75 billion packaging plant). Nor did Silicon Box indicate a location for the factory.

But Silicon Box did say that fast project execution had been a key part of bringing up its factory in Singapore and this would also apply to its Italian factory.

Net zero

Sehat Sutardja, co-founder and chairman of Silicon Box, said the factory would revolutionize Europe’s position in the global semiconductor supply chain. Silicon Box’s manufacturing process is based on panel-level-production, similar to that of display manufacturing, and supporting silicon or glass interposers.

“Italy was one of our top choices for global expansion because we found that its culture shares our values,” said Byung Joon (BJ) Han, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Box, in a statement. “We have seen great promise through our collaborations with the Italian government and various regional, institutional and commercial stakeholders to date, which we know will be necessary to successfully execute this first-of-a-kind project in Europe,” he added.

Mike Han, Silicon Box’s head of business, said: “Silicon Box’s new foundry in Italy will be able to accept wafers from all foundries and support a wide variety of customers.”

The facility will also be constructed and managed according to net zero principles, minimizing its carbon footprint and the impact on the environment.