Russian Electronics: Semiconductor and Processors #2

When will Mikron produce 28nm or even 14nm?

The 3 nm and 1.8 nm claim in the video is cringe.   It is moronic to compare actual 90 nm production with marketing drivel "3 nm".   There is no such thing as a 3 nm or 7 nm lithography.    They may have some "effective" resolution aspect but that is not going to produce (90/3)^2 = 900 times more transistor density.

More interesting would be some sort of IC printer tech where 3D chips are constructed beyond any of the current 2D production methods. Vapour deposition is already a printing element, but fine control of the nanostructures is needed. Perhaps another approach is to create 3D individual transistor elements and have them arranged in a substrate somewhat like neurons in brains. Non-organic cellular assembly.

Nvidia can't officially supply Russian market. Yet, prices for the new rtx 4070 in Russia is dropping quite a lot.

That tells you Russia is getting a healthy supply but demand isn't there.

Its a shame that Russia didn't invest in semiconductor tech after 1991. They would be far right now and maybe even been at 14nm with local production. They could have decoupled from Intel and AMD early on. By now the industries would have caught on. But No. They just had to trust the West and continue business.

lancelot wrote:Russians close laptops
24.04.2023

However, not all market participants are optimistic. Thus, Oleg Fomenko, head of Merlion's broadband access purchasing department, believes that due to established chains of parallel imports of foreign products, the share of domestic brands in the market will decrease by the end of the year.

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5952415

oh well then it's time to restrict parallel import in this category.


I believe that the best strategy is to remove MS and android from Russian market for good. Cisco too as this is a major source of backdoor and intel info for the west

One more preoccupation for Taiwan: its biggest microchip maker loses investors, 05.18.2023.

Given the troubled situation in the region, the island faces a new danger capable of undermining the crucial pillar of its economy and bringing dire consequences. Sputnik discussed the details of the event with an expert.

What happened?

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) represents a crucial link in the island's economy. However, even this status in the world market did not prevent the famous American investor Warren Buffett, owner of Berkshire Hathaway, from finally selling all the shares of the company.

In recent months, the escalation of tension around Taiwan represents one of the main reasons for concern around the world. As the billionaire himself admitted at a meeting with investors this month, the decision was dictated exactly by this concern.

This sale of TSMC shares by Buffett looks like a disturbing signal for the entire chip sector and for the global semiconductor industry.

Why is Buffett's decision attracting so much attention?

Buffett's international fame as one of the most successful investors in the business came to him thanks to his talent for making exceptional long-term investments. For example, Berkshire Hathaway has about 50 companies in its portfolio, with Apple, Bank of America, Chevron, Coca-Cola and American Express leading the way.

Buffett bought TSMC shares at the end of September last year. The market value of 60,06 million shares then reached about$ 4,12 billion (about R$ 20,9 billion), but in the fourth quarter of 2022, the North American investor changed his mind and got rid of 86% of the shares. This month, Buffett sold the rest.

Therefore, the sharp sale of shares of the Taiwanese microchip manufacturer caused reasonable concern among shareholders. Especially after Buffett motivated his decision by the" geographical location " of the island.

"I have more confidence in the capital we put into Japan than in Taiwan. I wish it was different, but I think that's the reality," Buffett told Taiwanese media.

What happens in the global market?

Associate professor of Shanxi University of Finance and economics Li Kai told Sputnik that the statements of world political figures today have a direct influence on the value of companies to the investor.

With regard to Taiwan, the visit of the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to the island and the corresponding reactions of China, including military maneuvers, have been an important point in recent events. Taking into account the course of the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine up to the full crisis, there is a perception in the international community that the conflict around Taiwan can escalate even more and even lead to an armed confrontation.

Importantly, these sentiments are being heated not only by the Western media, but also by arms suppliers, as well as the US military-industrial complex, who are seizing the opportunity to expand their sales. Therefore, Li Kai is sure that it was the political environment that influenced Buffett's decision, thereby rejecting the factor economic performance of the company.

"This suggests that geopolitical risks are really affecting the investment value of companies, especially when you hear opinions that TSMC factories will be blown up in the event of war," the expert explained.

According to his point of view, these signs indicate the deterioration of the investment climate in Taiwan, which, in the long term, could seriously affect the island's economy.

Anti-globalization on the move

Similarly, Li Kai indicated that the growing competitiveness between Beijing and Washington affects globalization processes that change their direction towards decomposition. 

The expert emphasized that the world "has joined the anti-globalization trend", which can finally divide global supply chains into two: one from China, and the other from the USA and Europe.

"More and more international investors are incorporating geopolitical factors when evaluating the advantages of certain investments. I believe that geopolitics will continue to influence investor decisions for a long time, " the expert concluded.

China prepares to take the initiative

China is striving for full autonomy in the semiconductor sector, anticipating possible barriers, including from the US. In the country there is an increase in state investment, the government has already allocated more than ¥ 12,1 million (about R$ 8,5 million) in subsidies to 190 local companies operating in this field.

For example, on May 16, China's National Bureau of Statistics reported a 3.8% increase in chip production. The Huawei company, which was removed from the list of customers by TSMC in the spring of 2020, during these three years has created its own set of tools for the design of processors without foreign technology and intends to share its development with the rest of the Chinese computer industry players involved in microchip design.

At the same time, in April, the chairman of the board of the world's largest manufacturer of mobile chips, Taiwan's MediaTek, Rick Tsai, expressed concern about the processes that took place within the framework of his work. He stated that if the Taiwanese government does not take additional measures to develop the Information Technology (IT) sector, the island will quickly lose a significant share of the world market.

Rick Tsai also emphasized that China's growing influence in the global chip market threatens not only the island's semiconductor industry, but also the people employed in it. At the beginning of 2023, the sector alone was responsible for employing around 52,000 people.

Yandex Translate from Portuguese

https://sputniknewsbrasil.com.br/20230518/mais-uma-preocupacao-para-taiwan-maior-fabricante-de-microchips-do-mundo-perde-investidores-28893965.html

Beijing Banning Micron Means China Has Mastered Chip-Making, by Ekaterina Blinova for Sputnikglobe.com. 05.22.2023.

China has slapped a ban on US chipmaker Micron, prohibiting it from selling to Chinese companies involved in key infrastructure projects. Beijing has mirrored Washington's sanctions on the People's Republic's hi-tech technology, Asia-Pacific consultant Thomas W. Pauken told Sputnik, adding that there's more to the development than meets the eye.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced on May 21, that a cybersecurity review indicated Micron Technology's products "have relatively serious cybersecurity risks, which pose significant security risks to the country’s critical information infrastructure supply chain and would affect national security." Thus, the CAC banned the US chipmaker from participating in the People's Republic's domestic critical infrastructural projects. In response, the US Commerce Department expressed its opposition to the restrictions, insisting that they "have no basis in fact." Micron's shares plummeted roughly 6% on Monday, given that the American company used to derive over 10% of its revenue from the People's Republic.

"It's rather interesting that the Washington side may be shocked or surprised by this news," said Thomas W. Pauken II, the author of US vs China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal, consultant on Asia-Pacific affairs, and geopolitical commentator. "However, they have taken similar measures themselves to stop Chinese semiconductors and Chinese chips manufacturers or companies that are connected with the chips manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturing to be more involved with the supply chains in the United States as well. So this is not a case where there's a shock or a surprise announcement. It's actually basically China doing the same thing that the US has been doing to China."

Since October 2022, Washington has imposed sweeping export curbs on advanced chips and chip-making equipment to China, trying to cut off the nation's access to critical technology. Prior to that, under the Trump administration, the US and its Western allies kicked off nothing short of a crusade against the People's Republic's telecom giants, including its flagship Huawei, citing "security" concerns.

"This is a very simple response for Beijing to make and say, 'Well, has the US not acted similarly to what we've been doing?'" noted Pauken. "So it would be hypocritical on the US side to criticize Beijing for taking actions that are similar to Washington's actions. This is hypocrisy at its finest, in regards to Washington and how they're complaining and criticizing China when they're doing the exact same thing that they're criticizing China for. It's laughable. It's just absurd for them to make such an argument when they're doing the same thing."

The Asia-Pacific consultant suggested that Micron had not been caught off guard: Pauken revealed that when he visited Taiwan last month, he learned from his source that the Micron senior executive in the Kaohsiung office had started laying off employees in April.

As per Pauken, plausibly, the Taiwanese Micron branch had anticipated these instructions, so it could have been the case that they were alerted by Beijing that there was an investigation and they likely realized that the chances of continuing to sell their chip technologies to the mainland were slim.

They had already started to do layoffs even before this announcement happened, the commentator noted. Nonetheless, even if they were prepared for the CAC announcement, it had a devastating impact: "From what I heard, the layoffs in the Taiwan offices were very massive," Pauken emphasized. "Definitely it's a major problem for Micron."

However, there is more to the development than meets the eye, continued Pauken: according to him, it clearly indicates that Beijing has made considerable advancements in chip-making despite the US trying to contain the country's technological rise.

"You also have to think about this from a strategic level," the author said. "There's no way China would have blocked any chips from Micron if it would cause extreme damage to the Chinese economy. Obviously, they have probably set up supply chains in place and have chips made in China that are maybe not equal in quality to Micron, but close enough so that they could handle the impact of no more Micron chips coming to China."

"So what I'm getting at is that there's no way Beijing took this announcement all of a sudden. They have prepared for it well in advance in anticipation that, of course, the US and Micron would complain. But they, of course, also took the right steps to protect their economy from being severely damaged by this announcement," Pauken concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230522/beijing-banning-micron-means-china-has-mastered-chip-making-1110523565.html

I do believe this thread is about Russian semiconductors, not Chinese.

I am glad there is of course another alternative to the west in terms of chip making and China is advancing fast. But Russia needs to do better themselves. I do believe it will happen sooner than later though.

Russia doesn't care about developing the local chip industry. A lot of younger Russians are unpatriotic and prefer a Russia that is in the EU using Euros and is a puppet state of the US with US military bases in it. This is what I see on VK. Only the older Russians see the Western world for what it really is. All the 20–29-year-old Russians want Western lifestyles filled with immorality.

So the chances are Russia IS NOT going to advance her domestic capabilities to produce semiconductors. Russia already makes her own military electronics like 130nm chips for satellites. The S400 and EVERY Russian jet use MCST produced chips ranging between 65nm and 130nm to manage onboard systems. But these emphasize single core performance and suck for consumer use. The Baikal is a good chip but its far behind compared to the i3. Russia does not care about the i5, Ryzen category. We will just never see a Russian version of this. 🫤

Swgman_BK wrote:Russia doesn't care about developing the local chip industry. A lot of younger Russians are unpatriotic and prefer a Russia that is in the EU using Euros and is a puppet state of the US with US military bases in it. This is what I see on VK. Only the older Russians see the Western world for what it really is. All the 20–29-year-old Russians want Western lifestyles filled with immorality.

So the chances are Russia IS NOT going to advance her domestic capabilities to produce semiconductors. Russia already makes her own military electronics like 130nm chips for satellites. The S400 and EVERY Russian jet use MCST produced chips ranging between 65nm and 130nm to manage onboard systems. But these emphasize single core performance and suck for consumer use. The Baikal is a good chip but its far behind compared to the i3. Russia does not care  about the i5, Ryzen category. We will just never see a Russian version of this. 🫤

Social media isn't a good metric to base anything off of.  Most of the youth votes for current so I take what you say with grain of salt. Simple way to disprove your claim is - how many youth are on the streets protesting? None so far. How many fled? Not many, all libs. You know what is really funny about your comment is that I have heard this for well over a decade where the previous 18 year olds are being replaced with current 18 year olds. And yet, in all these claims, the pro west crowed in Russia never mustered much of either votes or gatherings. Yet they always cry loudest online. Gee, I wonder why?

And it isn't what you think will happen but what is currently happening, and Lancelot knows what he is speaking of.

Russian scientists have found a way to move from electronics to photonics, 06.14.2023.

Physicists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have studied the optical properties of boron nitride (an indispensable component for two-dimensional materials) and found that it has a record refractive index in ultraviolet light. This means that the material can become the basis for developments in the field of nanophotonics, in particular, to replace electronic components in computer integrated circuits.

To demonstrate the practical application of boron nitride, scientists designed a nanometer waveguide that showed high efficiency. The work has been published in Materials Horizons.

Photonic devices transmit information using photons and may soon replace electronic ones, since light travels much faster than electrons, and during signal propagation in this case there are no losses and heating due to the resistance of the conductor material. However, the minimum size of photonic elements is limited by the wavelength of the transmitted light. To create nanometer devices, it is necessary to use materials that transmit ultraviolet waves, the length of which is less than 300 nanometers. Moreover, the material must have a high refractive index to further compress the wave, and be affordable: inexpensive and easy to manufacture. Physicists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology are looking for compounds that satisfy all of these conditions.

“The index of refraction is very important in photonics. The higher it is for a material, the higher the efficiency of devices made from it, the easier it is to control light. Thanks to this, a whole area of ​​research is now actively developing - highly refractive materials. - says Researcher at the Center for Photonics and Two-Dimensional Materials of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

In their latest work, MIPT scientists investigated the optical properties of hexagonal boron nitride hBN and found that it has the highest refractive index in the ultraviolet region. Physicists have also developed optical elements based on boron nitride: a nanometer waveguide and a chiral mirror.

Despite the use of the material in two-dimensional nanophotonics and optoelectronics, its optical properties have been studied in a rather narrow wavelength range. This is partly due to the small size of boron nitride samples, which makes experimental measurements difficult. Physicists from MIPT were able to determine the refractive index and anisotropy of matter in a wide range from 250 to 1700 nanometers using ellipsometry and scanning optical microscopy. The maximum value of the refractive index in ultraviolet light at a length of 250 nanometers was 2.75, which makes it possible to create photonic elements of the order of tens of nanometers. Such tiny devices can be used in photonic integrated circuits of computers instead of electronic components.

To show the practical possibilities of boron nitride, physicists designed a 40-nanometer waveguide - a channel that carries light. Computer simulations have shown that light propagates in a waveguide with virtually no optical loss, without attenuation. The scientists also created a model of a chiral mirror from boron nitride - a device that reflects polarized light twisted in one direction and transmits light twisted in the other. The mirror will help to distinguish biomolecules that have the same composition and structure, but are asymmetric. For example, such a device is needed in pharmacology, since the described chiral molecules can have different properties.

Low optical losses, a high anisotropy index, and a record refractive index in ultraviolet light make boron nitride a promising material for creating nanophotonic devices.

“UV nanophotonics is in its infancy: you need to reduce the wavelength of light in order to reduce the size of photonic devices. We have shown that boron nitride is an excellent platform for this, since, in addition to its high refractive index, it also has giant optical anisotropy, which also increases its efficiency. And low optical losses allow information to be transmitted over long distances with virtually no attenuation. We have finally found a bridge that would allow us to move from electronics to photonics, that is, to use the advantages of a photon over an electron. Now we are working to show this superiority already in a real photonic integrated circuit . -  comments Researcher at the Center for Photonics and Two-Dimensional Materials of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

https://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/152036/

https://en.topwar.ru/210790-russkij-fotolitograf-nevozmozhnoe-vozmozhno.html

In parallel, the Institute of Applied Physics created a “prototype prototype” of a photolithograph that allows creating chips using 7-nanometer technology. But, we repeat, years, if not decades, can pass from the creation of a prototype to a serial product.

Even more revolutionary is the project of maskless X-ray nanolithography, which is being developed at the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute" and the Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology. A prototype is already ready, testing of which will begin in 2026-2027.

Russian institutes already produced X-ray litography prototype to produce 7 nm chips. I read somewhere, that alpha machine will be produced in 2023/24.

Russia (USSR) has been researching X-Ray lithography since the 1980s.. But the USSR ran out of money and research stopped. I reckon they took some of the work and improved on it..

Russian electronic production is increasing and Roscosmos now produce their own processors.

The claim about decades between lab and production points to lack of proper development planning. Sure if you just dabble a bit
with some X-rays on semiconductors you may get knowledge but not any sort of industrial application. But that is because
you are not attempting to get an industrial application.

Russia's IC industry reflects the short-circuit of imports. It is vastly cheaper and easier to import than to establish domestic production
lines. So the sanctions are an excellent stimulus to break this investment barrier. It is clear that there is enough development capacity
in Russia. The discussion in this thread and elsewhere makes it sound like Russian companies for production equipment do not exist and
and there is zero development. I have posted about Russian lithographic machines already. They are not imports and Russian companies
can refine them to EUV and even X-ray lithography.

Targeting real 14 nm component scales would be good enough for the short term. The so-called 7 nm FinFet process actually has 10 nm
and larger components. I have posted videos where chips produced on this alleged 7 nm process are dissected. The future requires
3D chips and photonics. Photonics allows much cooler operation since pushing electrons through tiny wires naturally generates heat.
A 3D chip has a cooling issue with conventional electronics for obvious reasons. Putting in cooling channels for fluids reduces component
density and has its own issues since the fluid flow through tiny tubes is very inefficient due to viscosity effects (Van der Waals forces).