October 12, 2009 – JSC Sitronics and the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) have signed an agreement to "launch full-scale production" on a 90nm microchip production line. The investment will be in cooperation with Sitronics divisions Sistema and NIIME and Mikron at facilities in Zelenograd, Russia.

Terms of the deal peg the total investment at nearly $560M, split roughly 60-40 with Sitronics as the lead investor; Sitronics will invest "an equal amount" for tools to be provided by NIIME and Mikron. New facilities incorporating research, design, and production will be built "on the basis of" the existing facilities of the two units. No details about planned production capacities (at startup or full capacity) were provided, though in a statement the groups said end products would target a wide range of end applications, from digital TVs, GPS navigation systems, and smart cards to industrial automation and automotive electronics.

The new 90nm line "is of considerable strategic importance for Russia," and "plays an invaluable role in the development of the Russian high-tech sector and the country’s overall technological security," said Anatoly Chubais, CEO of RUSNANO, in a statement. Gennady Krasnikov, general director of NIIME and Mikron, noted that the company’s migration to 90nm "will enable us to enter new markets while maintaining market leading positions for our 180nm products."