Inmos microprocessor factory

Summary

The Inmos microprocessor factory, also known as the Inmos factory, previously known as Newport Wafer Fab,[2] now known as Nexperia Newport,[3] is a semiconductor fabrication plant for Inmos built in Newport, Wales, UK in 1980. It has gone through numerous changes in ownership. Since March 2024, the factory has been owned by Vishay Intertechnology.

Inmos microprocessor factory
The microprocessor factory in 2019 when it was owned by Newport Wafer Fab
Map
General information
Architectural styleHigh-tech
LocationNewport
AddressCardiff Road
CountryWales
Coordinates51°33′57″N 3°01′21″W / 51.56583°N 3.02250°W / 51.56583; -3.02250
Construction started1980
Completed1982
OwnerVishay Intertechnology
Technical details
Size8,900 m²
Floor count1 (factory area)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Project Architects:
David Bartlett
Pierre Botschi
Mike Davies
Sally Eaton
Michael Elkan
Marco Goldschmied
Kunimi Hayashi
Tim Inskip
Julia Marks
Peter McMunn
Richard Rogers
John Young
Architecture firmRichard Rogers Partnership
Structural engineerAnthony Hunt Associates
Services engineerYRM Engineers
Quantity surveyorG A Hanscomb
Main contractorLaing Construction
Awards and prizes
  • Structural Steel Design Award 1982[1]
  • Eurostructpress Award 1983
  • Financial Times Architecture at Work Award Commendation 1983
  • Constructa-Preis for Overall Excellence in the Field of Architecture 1986

The architects of the award-winning high-tech building were the Richard Rogers Partnership and the factory was the first building in Wales which Richard Rogers designed.[4]

Ownership edit

The building was originally commissioned by Inmos, but by July 1984 Thorn EMI had taken over Inmos. In March 1989, Thorn EMI sold Inmos to SGS-Thomson Microelectronics NV.[5][6]

In 1999, a management buyout took over the factory, renaming the business, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Limited.[7]

In March 2002, the factory was sold to International Rectifier Company (GB) Limited.[8]

In January 2015 it was acquired by Infineon Technologies, under its subsidiary company IR Newport Ltd.[9]

In September 2017, Infineon sold the site to Neptune 6 Limited, under its subsidiary company of Newport Wafer Fab Limited.[10][9]

In July 2021 the site was sold to Chinese-owned Dutch-headquartered Nexperia, who also have plants in Hamburg and Manchester.[11][12][13]

On 17 November 2022, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the British government ordered Nexperia to divest 86% of its ownership interest in Nexperia Newport Limited (NNL, formerly Newport Wafer Fab) for national security reasons,[14] which Nexperia has vowed to appeal. Nexperia's UK manager said they rescued an investment-starved company from collapse, [...] repaid taxpayer loans, secured jobs, wages, bonuses and pensions, and agreed to spend more than £80 million on equipment upgrades since early 2021".[2] In December 2022, it was announced Nexperia had engaged New York law firm, Akin Gump to act on their behalf in their application for a judicial review of the UK government’s decision.[15] Nexperia agreed to sell the facility to Vishay Intertechnology for $177 million in November 2023.[16] In March 2024, the UK government approved the acquisition of the Newport wafer fab, as announced by Secretary of State Oliver Dowden.[17][18][19]

History of design and construction edit

 
The former Inmos microprocessor factory in 2007 when it was owned by International Rectifier

Inmos Limited commissioned the Richard Rogers Partnership, now known as Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, to design its UK microprocessor manufacturing facility at Newport. The design criterion was for a fast construction, so that it was ready for operation within one year of starting.[20] Richard Rogers until then was known for designing the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Lloyd's building in London. The main contractor for the construction of the building was Laing Construction, the structural engineers were Anthony Hunt Associates, the services engineers were YRM Engineers and the quantity surveyors were GA Hanscomb Partnership.[21]

The technical requirements were that it would house controlled conditions for the production of electronic microchips, a service area for various offices and a staff canteen, all under one roof.[20] The Inmos factory was designed to be a model factory that could be constructed in a variety of locations. The speed of the design process and construction time of the building were critical. The 8,900 square metres (96,000 sq ft) single-storey building was designed to be fabricated off-site, and assembled on the Newport site.[21]

The building is divided into clean and "dirty" areas. The cleanroom being for microchip production and the dirty area for all others services in the building. The building has a central spine which is 7.2 metres (24 ft) wide and 106 m (348 ft) from which all the services and production area emanates from eight bays with the potential to increase this to 20 bays.[20][22] Suspended beams span 40m from the central spine with masts along the length of the building allowing for a post-free area,[23][24] and so providing a flexible interior and the possibility of large work areas.[23] Reyner Banham, the architectural critic and writer, said of the Inmos factory that it was "the first really challenging building of the 1980s."[25] Construction began in 1980 and was completed by 1982.[23]

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Structural Steel Design Awards 1969 - 2011". Steel Construction Info. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b Sharwood, Simon (17 November 2022). "UK forces China company to offload Newport Wafer Fab". Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  3. ^ Barry, Sion (17 November 2023). "Nexperia appoint advisers to look at possible sale of its Newport microchip factory". www.business-live.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  4. ^ "All Projects". Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  5. ^ Hart, Jeffrey A (1993). Rival Capitalists: International Competitiveness in the United States, Japan, and Western Europe. Cornell University Press. pp. 176. ISBN 978-0-8014-9949-4. Retrieved 26 September 2009. Thorn EMI Inmos.
  6. ^ "Newport Wafer Fab The Latest Chip Plant To Fall". BNET. 1998. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  7. ^ "Newport Wafer-Fab Bought Out For $160M". United Business Media. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Sale of Newport wafer fab to IR saves 260 jobs". Reed Business Information. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  9. ^ a b "In the news: Infineon selling IR Newport manufacturing site to new firm Neptune 6". Semiconductor Centre Limited. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  10. ^ "A Critical Component of the Semiconductor Cluster". CS Connected. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Chinese-owned Nexperia confirms acquisition of UK's largest chip plant". CNBA. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  12. ^ "UK ministers quietly approve Chinese microchip factory takeover". POLITICO. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  13. ^ Shead, Sam (7 July 2021). "The Chinese firm behind the acquisition of the UK's largest chip plant is state backed, analysis shows". CNBC. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  14. ^ "UK orders China's Nexperia to sell at least 86% of microchip factory". Reuters. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  15. ^ Manners, David (30 December 2022). "Nexperia engages New York law firm to fight UK government over Newport Wafer Fab". Electronics Weekly. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  16. ^ Gross, Anna; Pickard, Jim (8 November 2023). "Nexperia sells Newport Wafer Fab to US chip company for $177mn". Financial Times.
  17. ^ "Newport Wafer Fab sale wins government approval". 18 March 2024. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Newport Wafer Fab: Semiconductor plant takeover gets go-ahead". 1 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Vishay completes acquisition of Nexperia's Newport Wafer Fab following UK Government approval". www.semiconductor-today.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  20. ^ a b c "Inmos Microprocessor Factory". Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  21. ^ a b "Inmos Microprocessor Factory" (PDF). Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2007.
  22. ^ "Encyclopedia of World Biography on Richard Rogers". www.bookrags.com/. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  23. ^ a b c "Inmos Microelectronics Plant". Nicolas Janberg (Structurae). Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  24. ^ "Patscenter, Princeton, New Jersey, USA". Columbia University. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  25. ^ Whiteley, Nigel (2003). Reyner Banham: Historian of the Immediate Future. Cambridge: MIT Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-262-73165-2. Retrieved 26 September 2009.

External links edit

  • Inmos microprocessor factory on the Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners website
  • Inmos microprocessor factory on the Great Buildings website
  • Photos of the construction of the Inmos microprocessor factory on www.inmos.com
  • AD Classics: Inmos Microprocessor Factory / Richard Rogers Partnership, link at ArchDaily