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Comment by UncleOxidant | Hacker News Reader

> 3. Allowing Intel to handle the packaging process for TSMC's Arizona-based operations.

WTF does that achieve? TSMC fabs all the advanced chips and Intel becomes just a packager? Window dressing.

Currently, all the Arizona-made chips have to be sent back to Taiwan for packaging, which defeats the purpose of having the fab in the US in the first place.

Hmmm that's an important point

That's definitely going to impact the new Amkor facility out there

For anyone else like me who wasn't familiar with what semiconductor packaging is -

https://news.skhynix.com/semiconductor-back-end-process-epis...

Isn't this sort of like Ford announcing they'll just package Toyota engines into cars? I don't think anyone would call a car window dressing? Packaging has become far more than just coat chip in epoxy/plastic and bond wires onto die.

No, not like ford packaging toyota engines into Ford cars. These still won't be Intel chips. Nor will they be sold by Intel (like Ford might sell Ford Branded cars with Toyota engines). Intel would just do that final packaging step for TSMC. It doesn't help Intel develop their fabs or process tech - which is what we want to have some US manufacturer(s) able to continue doing. It just gets Intel some packaging biz which they likely don't even want.

Packaging is gobbling up more and more of the backend process, especially for chiplets.

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