Intel Corp.'s Japanese arm has formed a research body with 14 domestic firms to automate "back-end chipmaking processes" such as packaging as Japan and the United States step up efforts to strengthen chip supply chains.
Materials supplier Resonac Holdings Corp., one of the firms involved in the project, said Tuesday that the association was established on April 16, aiming to implement automation technologies by 2028.
Omron Corp. and Murata Machinery Ltd., both based in Kyoto, will be among the firms overseeing research and development of automated conveyance and storage systems, while Yamaha Motor Co. and Resonac will take charge of assembly and testing processes.
Sharp Corp. will be responsible for designing and operating pilot lines.
Back-end processes are seen as ideal for automation as they are considered more labor-intensive than "front-end processes," where electronic circuit designs are etched onto a silicon wafer.
Kunimasa Suzuki, president of Intel K.K., leads the consortium headquartered at the Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc. in Tokyo.
