UMC and Intel Partner on 12nm FinFET Technology

During its annual shareholders meeting, UMC Co-President Jason Wang highlighted the company's collaboration with Intel to develop a groundbreaking 12nm process platform. This collaboration is set to play a crucial role in UMC's future technological advancements, with the platform development expected to be completed by 2026 and mass production beginning in 2027.

Earlier this year, UMC and Intel announced their joint effort to create a 12nm FinFET process platform. This strategic partnership aims to address the rapid growth in the mobile, communication infrastructure, and networking markets. By combining Intel's extensive manufacturing capacity in the United States with UMC's rich experience in mature process wafer foundry services, the partnership will enhance process diversity and provide a more resilient regional supply chain. This will help global customers make better procurement decisions.

UMC Co-President Wang Wen emphasized that the collaboration with Intel on the 12nm FinFET process in the US is a significant step in UMC's strategy for cost-effective capacity expansion and technological progress. This initiative underscores UMC's commitment to its customers, assisting them in transitioning smoothly to this critical technology node while benefiting from the enhanced supply chain resilience in the North American market. UMC is excited about leveraging the complementary strengths of both companies to expand potential markets and accelerate technology development timelines.

At the shareholders meeting, Jason Wang also noted the substantial improvements offered by the 12nm FinFET process platform over its predecessor, the 14nm FinFET technology. The new platform delivers better performance, smaller chip sizes, and lower power consumption, maximizing the advantages of FinFET technology in performance, power efficiency, and gate density. The 12nm FinFET process platform will be widely applicable across various semiconductor products, with development completion targeted for 2026 and mass production scheduled for 2027.