Jul 14 2009
RUSNANO Supervisory Council approved the Corporation's participation in the project aimed at setting up national production of 90-nm topology very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI). In the range of products manufactured as a result of the project are Russian-made microchips for smart cards integrated into electronic traveler's passports, driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates, bank and social cards, mobile phones SIM-cards, and RFID chips. The integrated circuits manufactured under the project will also be used in GLONASS/GPS devices and digital set-top boxes.
The project funding will total 16.5 billion rubles. The JSC SITRONICS, one of the Russian microelectronics leaders, will join the project as RUSNANO's partner and a co-investor. To implement the project, the co-investor is expected to contribute the ICs production line and RUSNANO is planning to invest 6.5 billion rubles into the newly set up project comany's equity. In addition, RUSNANO and the co-investor will provide a loan to the portfolio company for the total amount of 3.6 billion rubles.
The project will be deployed in the production facility of JSC NIIME & Mikron, a subsidiary of JSC SITRONICS, and use its infrastructure. The project objective is to make JSC SITRONICS the center of further development of microelectronics in Russia. The project will acquire a process license from ST Microelectronics', one of the leading semiconductor developers in the world, to produce 90-nm integrated circuits. A design center may be established as part of the project for developing proprietary microchip designs.
"This project is of great importance for Russia. Its implementation will facilitate such federal target programs as National Technological Platform 2007-2011 and Development of Component Electronics and Radioelectronics 2008-2015. The project completely complies with the national priorities for setting up strategic infrastructure facilities that ensure sustainable performance of electronic industry,” said Dionis Gordin, RUSNANO Managing Director.
"This project will enable the Russian microelectronics industry to advance to a new level, and RUSNANO's participation demonstrates the support of the Russian Government," said Sergey Aslanyan, President of OJSC SITRONICS. “Only by continued investment into technology and know-how development, even during the economic instability, we will be able to maintain the competitive edge and gain a key to success in the future.”
SITRONICS (LSE: SITR) is the leading provider of telecommunication solutions, including software, hardware and system integration, IT and microelectronics solutions in Russia and CIS with a growing presence in other EEMEA emerging markets. SITRONICS works with more than 3,500 customers. The Company has offices and subsidiaries in 32 countries exporting products and services to more than 62 countries worldwide. The Company currently employs more than 10,000 people among which about 4,500 work in R&D. SITRONICS main Telecom Division is located in Prague (Czeck Republic) and Athens (Greece), IT Solutions and Microelectronics Solutions Divisions are located in Kiev (Ukraine) and Zelenograd (Russia). The company on the web: www.sitronics.ru
JSC Molecular Electronics R&D Institute and Mikron Factory (JSC NIIME & Mikron) is a Russian company, part of JSC AFK Sistema. One of the largest IC producers in Eastern Europe. The company was founded 9 March 1964 as Molecular Electronics R&D Institute (NIIME) and on 1 February 1967 Micron Factory was set up on its basis. In 2008 a clean room was constructed for manufacturing ICs with topological level of 180 nm by EEPROM based on ST Microelectronics technology. The production facility is located in Zelenograd.