April 15, 2004 – Intel and AMD are beginning new construction projects in China to bring testing and packaging facilities online by next year.
Intel has broken ground on a new $375 million packaging and testing facility in Chengdu. The initial $200 million phase of construction covers 430,000 sq. ft, with a $175 million second phase adding 645,000 sq. ft. The facility, first announced in September 2003, is expected to begin production in 2005.
Also building in China is AMD, which plans to build a $100 million test and packaging facility in Suzhou, with operations beginning by the end of this year. AMD already has a similar plant in the region for packaging flash memory chips.