Q: Why Richardson? Wouldn't other sites be more cost effective?

A: We already owned the land in Richardson, plus its proximity to our Dallas headquarters, existing base of semiconductor suppliers, DFW and Alliance airports, and the DART light rail made it a very attractive choice. Additionally, TI's selection was the result of a collaborative effort between TI, the state, University of Texas system and several local entities that is bringing $300 million to the University of Texas at Dallas. This will boost engineering and research programs at UTD and promote the technological future of North Texas.

Q: What locations did you consider?

A: We looked at several states in the US and a few offshore locations that have demonstrated capability for advanced research and semiconductor manufacturing operations.

Q: What technologies will be built at the new facility?

A: TI will continue to follow its planned technology roadmap. Exactly what nodes we build will depend on when we opt to begin production at the new facility.

Q: Specifically what types of semiconductors will be built at this fab?

A: The new 300-mm fab will produce a wide range of digital signal processor- (DSP) and analog-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) devices such as wireless phones, digital cameras, broadband technology, MP3 players and numerous other digital consumer applications.

Q: What is the most recent fab that TI built?

A: DMOS 6 in Dallas. We broke ground in 1996 and produced the first material in 2001. DMOS 6 began fully qualified production in 2002.

Q: What will be the capacity of the new fab?

A: The current plan is for the fab to be capable of producing 25-30K wafers/month when it is fully loaded. Like DMOS 6, the fab will be brought on-line in phases.

Q: When will the fab be operational?

A: That depends on market conditions.