Remix.run Logo
Jim Keller's startup is building a factory to mass-produce small chip fabs(tomshardware.com)
89 points by logickkk1 5 hours ago | 15 comments
WithinReason 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

That's the one that Sam Zeloof is working on, "having lithographically microfabricated various chips in his garage as early as the age of 17"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Zeloof

embedding-shape 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Featured on the frontpage four years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30043719 (22-year-old builds chips in his parents’ garage | 525 | Jan 23, 2022 | 347 comments)

I still recall being amazed reading and seeing it for the first time, and I have been eagerly awaiting to see what he been up to since starting Atomic Semi.

sq_ 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The article mentions, but doesn't explicitly state, that they're going to be using electron beam lithography. Makes sense for their low volume and/or prototype fab goal, but I'm curious how well that would work for prototyping to fab at high volume with the likes of TSMC or Intel.

I would assume that re-targeting a design to a different fab's process would change enough about it that you might as well just do verification in simulation rather than sidetrack through Fab2.

ipsum2 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I don't get it. How is Jim Keller running a brand new, hard tech startup while being CEO of Tenstorrent at the same time?

bhewes 2 hours ago | parent [-]

There are rumors Qualcomm is going to buy Tenstorrent.

williadc an hour ago | parent [-]

Maybe not: https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/qualcomms-t...

syntaxing 22 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

This is a great idea and hope it works out, especially on shoring chips back here in the states. That being said, their website is absolutely atrocious. One of the very few sites I got motion sickness from scrolling.

[1] https://fab2.com/

d_silin 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

One of the most interesting technologies that is not about LLMs/AIs.

eikenberry 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Is this an ASML competitor?

re-thc 3 hours ago | parent [-]

No, quoting the article:

> only really suits prototyping and low-volume runs rather than high-volume production at commercial foundries

fernie 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Aww, I really wanted a cottage industry of chip manufacturing

holoduke 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

How could would ut be that your company or university or even at home has its own chip machine. Design your 5b transistor chip and bake and process it the same day. Doable I would say.

vatsachak 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Great! Hopefully we can get 10 year behind technology from small fabs. There's so much you can do with a laptop from 2016

pulse7 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

With electron-beam lithography you can build transistors with gate lengths down to 1 to 3 nanometers.

phonon 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Global Foundries has lots of fabs with 10 year old+ processes....