The microelectronic holding "Element" is building a factory in Tatarstan for the production of semiconductor wafers with 55–40 nm technology. In the future, the enterprise should reach a more complex level – 28 nanometers. The project is called "Volga" and is being implemented in the "Innopolis" special economic zone in the Verkhneuslonsky district of Tatarstan.
The basic project has already been approved. Construction will unfold on a 41-hectare site.
The product nomenclature has also been approved together with Russian design centers. JSC "Mikron" (technological partner), NIIME (project partner) are participating in the project, and MIET, KAI, and TUSUR are engaged in personnel training. The participation of partners from China is not excluded.
The full cycle is estimated to take approximately five years. In the first year, infrastructure construction is planned, in the second – launch and test production, in the third – release of the first commercial chips using 55–40 nm process technology. Then they want to launch a pilot 28 nm line, and then move to serial production of the technology.
55–40 nm technologies cover more than half of the Russian market for electronic component base. Rosatom, Rostec, defense industry enterprises, and critical information infrastructure facilities are among the main customers.
According to the project manager, there are still difficulties with financing: businesses are not ready to invest in long and low-margin projects without state participation. At the same time, the cost of transitioning to the 28 nm level is estimated at approximately 750 billion rubles.
The smaller the nanometer value, the denser elements can be placed on the crystal. This allows for the creation of more powerful and energy-efficient processors that perform more calculations and consume less energy in the same area.
A nanometer is a unit of measurement equal to one billionth of a meter. In microelectronics, this indicator is used to denote the size of the smallest elements within a chip – transistors and the connections between them.
The smaller the nanometer value, the denser elements can be placed on the crystal. This allows for the creation of more powerful and energy-efficient processors that perform more calculations and consume less energy in the same area.
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