Intel Corp (INTC)

[Elmer Phud]

I suspect that AMD buys wafers ... Otherwise, UMC would have to have the test capability. UMC wouldn't allow AMD to tell them the number of good die per wafer. However, I imagine that AMD does have a "yield agreement" with UMC that AMD would get financial compensation on wafer price if yield is low.

Very dangerous to seperate sort from the Fab. A process problem could go on for weeks before the customer gets around to sorting the wafers and discovering the problem. Also how would they do low yield analysis and improve the process when they never test the wafers? I've been through that with foundries. Getting meaningful support from the process people is next to impossible. Reliability data is closely guarded so qualification is painful, time consuming and frustrating at best. They have 12 other customers all asking for something different and finger pointing is the rule. It's the process, no it's the design, no it's the test program.... Sheesh what a mistake to go outside...

EP