Recently, the semiconductor circle looks like a "outrageous" message make people all know, as a result of lack of core cause, have an enterprise to buy a large number of washing machine actually, tear apart among them the chip comes out in order to offer oneself product to use.
In fact, this isn't just anecdotal information, it comes from ASML's 2022Q1 earnings call on April 20, Asml CEO Peter Wennink says one big industrial company is already taking chips out of home washing machines to use in its own chip modules.
Peter Wennink did not name the company, but said the company informed him of the predicament as recently as last week. "The demand we're seeing right now is coming from many parts of the industry... We grossly underestimated the breadth of demand and I don't think that's going to go away."
"Take the washing machine apart".The idea of "buying a washing machine to remove chips" may seem outrageous, but given the skyrocketing prices of some chips, it may be economically cheaper than buying from some reseller. Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business and INTELLIGENT vehicle BU, said recently that "a chip of 10 yuan or 20 yuan is priced at 2,500 yuan. It's too expensive and I can't accept it."
Typical home washing machines can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands, but if the company can buy them in bulk from a recycling center or a used appliance vendor, it can get them at a substantial discount, and each machine has more than one chip in it. All told, It is true that the cost of obtaining chips from used washing machines is much lower than that of some hoarders.
In theory, many of the chips found in home washing machines can be used in many manufacturing industries, including automobiles, and the technology for recycling semiconductors is well established. The chips in the washing machine include microcontroller (MCU), power supply chip and motor drive. The importance of MCU for electric vehicles is needless to say. Because of its programmability, THE MCU can still be redesigned and used when removed from the washing machine.
In addition, manufacturers do not have to consider the chip life of used appliances. Washing machine is applied to almost all these chips in the mature process node on the chip, the chip although much less than 5 nm, 7 nm chips are fine and small size, but its because of the technology mature and widely used, the mature process of the service life of the chip is very long, far in excess of the mobile phone, computer processor, memory chips, The life span is more than 15 years.
