The war that is never seen and that determines the positions of countries globally has only just begun and as a key fact we have to say that it is much more effective than the one that is taking place in Ukraine. Russia is destroying said country, but at the same time its economy and subtle contribution to world chips is being diminished and for this reason the Vladimir Putin government already announced measures a week ago, which are now taking shape in an intense plan that will lead to its country to chip manufacturing by 2030.
A giant returns to the fray in a sector that it had left aside, such as semiconductors. It is true that its current deficit is trying to be palliated in a series of quick moves that put Putin’s country on the board, but even with the investment that we are going to see now, it will not be easy if what it wants is to dispute yields with allied countries. or enemies. What there is is a key date: 2030, a world in this sector, but what does Russia want to achieve in these 7 and a half years that remain?
Russia’s ambition: 28nm chip manufacturing by 2030
The country that Vladimir Putin governs is not logically going through a sweet moment economically, but it is that technologically they are very far away, perhaps too far. Therefore, what has been known about the new plan of the former KGB agent for his country may not be enough and at the same time it could be the most realistic thing that Russia can currently face.
The investment for the manufacture of semiconductors and therefore chips will go to nothing less than $38.43 billion until said year 2030 and will focus on several key points that the Kremlin considers vital for prosperity in this sector:
- Development of national chips.
- Data center infrastructures.
- Local talent development.
- Chip marketing and in-house manufacturing.
Therefore, these almost 40 billion will be divided into those four areas where the one that encompasses chip manufacturing by 2030 will take 5 billion and the first results will arrive soon, specifically before the end of the year.
The 90nm by the end of 2022
That’s right, and it is that although they seem old technologies, they are currently the most demanded in volume for various reasons, but above all because the bulk of the market is precisely there and not in the leading nodes that are a specific niche and that although they have volume in comparison with those mentioned is mild.
And how are they going to do it in so few years? Well, in a way that literally copies what China does and is nothing more than reverse engineering, which is why Russia wants to develop the local talent mentioned above. Putin does not want to innovate, what he wants is to have his own chip FAB as quickly as possible because he knows that may not use US, UK or European technology and therefore it is accelerating the process to have the 90nm in volume ready before the end of the year.
Yes, this is a node that TSMC already had in 2011, so they are a decade late at least, but the jump will be more than important if in 2030 they have the 28nm own ready, thus cutting time and with a not too high investment that would focus efforts in the next decade to get down to single digit nodes.
It is expected that the plan will be financed and sent as a draft for its subsequent official approval by the Russian Prime Minister on the 22nd of this month, that is, on Friday of this same week, when it is possible that we will have more data available on these plans. of Russia for the manufacture of chips in 2030.
