Intel, the leading chip giant, is making significant strides in the realm of advanced manufacturing processes, with a simultaneous focus on advanced packaging. A state-of-the-art packaging facility is currently under construction in Penang, Malaysia, as part of Intel's ambitious plans to bolster its 2.5D/3D packaging capabilities. By 2025, the company aims to quadruple its production capacity for 3D Foveros packaging.

Foveros brings to the table is 3D stacking of discrete ICs, effectively enabling logic-on-logic integration. Face-to-face micro-bumps connect one IC to another, while through-silicon vias (TSVs) are then used to connect to the package below directly through the bottom die. 

During an interview in Penang on the 22nd, Robin Martin, Intel's vice president, disclosed that the forthcoming Penang factory is poised to become the company's primary hub for advanced 3D packaging.

In the domain of advanced packaging, key players like TSMC (2330) offer 3D Fabric solutions including InFo, CoWoS, and SoIC. Samsung, on the other hand, is developing its I-cube and X-Cube packaging technologies. Intel's advanced packaging solutions comprise 2.5D EMIB and 3D Foveros. Consequently, the competition within the semiconductor field transcends foundries and extends to advanced packaging.

While Intel has not divulged the exact production capacity of its 3D Foveros packaging at this stage, it has mentioned its plans to quadruple the production capacity across its three strongholds, including Oregon, USA, and the upcoming facilities in New Mexico and Penang, by 2025.

Intel's newest packaging plant under construction in Penang, Malaysia. 

Two years ago, Intel declared a $3.5 billion investment to expand its advanced packaging capacity in New Mexico, which is still underway. Regarding the Penang factory, the company has affirmed that the construction progress is on track, although it has refrained from revealing the precise completion timeline. External speculation points towards potential completion in either 2024 or 2025.