Yipyip, in other words, according to kncminer, by "tape-out" they mean to say that the chip is beyond theoretical design, and is now actually in the fabrication (or build it stage as you put it) plant where they make ASIC chips?
Anyone know how long it takes to fab 50 wafers?
Anyone know how long it takes to fab 50 wafers?
Wafers are manufactured in lots (e.g. 25 wafer each). A Foundry normally gives you a committed cycle time for the concrete 28nm fab for a wafer lot. That time strongly depends on what priority your run got and which tech options you choose (e.g. how many metal layers). If they were lucky and got a so called "rocket" run it could be as fast as 30 to 45 days. Standard runs take between 60 to 90 days.
After that the wafers must be bumped (prepared for flip-chip packaging, probably at another facility), diced in dies and packaged in the flip-chip package. Don't know how long this takes exactly, but it could be easily "2 more weeks".
Hypermega, thanks for that info. Any others with knowledge experience care to enlighten us further of Chip building??
KnCminer stated at the end of June that everything that needed to be order up to that point had been ordered. I wonder if this included
the Tape-out?
They then stated at the end of July that the ASIC tape-out had been done a while ago. Since it wasn't specifically stated at the end of
June, I will assume that tape-out hadn't been done yet. I will also assume that in their July statement, 'a while ago' is two weeks, since
in the Bitcoin world, 2 weeks is a while ago.
That would mean that KnC would need the "rocket run" in order to make any September delivery. IF the end of June statement
by KnC INCLUDED the tape-out, then a standard run will allow for Sept. 2013 delivery.
BUT no matter what, if delivery is to take place in Sept., the ASIC chip on board will have to be done before the end of August to have
any chance of delivery in September.
I hope we get a clue in the next two week as my order sits on the sideline until further news.