Relentless innovation: The case for agility in semiconductor manufacturing

As the market for advanced technology continues its endless march forward, the industry faces increasing challenges to sustain the current pace of innovation. Leading-edge process technology is becoming more cost-intensive, design companies are developing chips with extraordinary complexity, and the next generation technology will require an unprecedented level of performance, and cost-effectiveness to deliver on its full potential. This confluence of factors is compounded by a major global recession, which has caused many manufacturers to develop a renewed focus on short-term productivity improvements. However, there is still a critical need for manufacturers to become more agile so that they are better positioned to respond to the long-term challenges of fluctuating demands. To address this need for agility, GLOBALFOUNDRIES has developed a unique manufacturing capability, called “Automated Precision Manufacturing”, or APM. Through enhanced delivery capabilities and improved product quality, APM has enabled GLOBALFOUNDRIES to deliver cutting-edge technology at low costs, which is a critical manufacturing advantage in the fast moving semiconductor industry. This presentation will take a look at how the lean manufacturing techniques that have successfully been used to transform other industries can be leveraged to provide the agility needed in semiconductor manufacturing.