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A packaging facility is not a fab. It doesn't really give them any advantage in reverse engineering the silicon over someone that buys the end product and de-pa
by zerohp 8y ago
A packaging facility is not a fab. It doesn't really give them any advantage in reverse engineering the silicon over someone that buys the end product and de-packages the die.
- microDude 8y agoNope. When you de-package the chip you damage it, especially on small features. They have access to the die bank, which means they have perfect die. Probably, with test pads still exposed. A microscope, etcher, etester, and patience is all you need to reverse engineer.
- hakfoo 8y agoI always wondered about the latency on a successful reverse engineering of something like a modern CPU. I'd expect there's a huge validation stage involved-- flaws in the extraction process could give you a plausible looking but ultimately faulty design to work with, and you have to check and clean that up. Moreover, if you don't have exactly Intel's fab technology and oral-tradition knowledge, you probably have to retool the design to be more suited to the process you have. It might still be a boost over whatever they have to offer now, but by the time it hits the market, it would be a generation or two old.