Advanced Packaging, TSMC CoWoS, Intel EMIB
Shownotes
New episode: Advanced packaging for AI chips, from wire bonds to TSMC CoWOS and Intel EMIB.
Packaging is no longer an afterthought. It is the chip, and Intel's EMIB challenges TSMC's CoWOS.
- Three CoWOS flavors: silicon, organic RDL, local bridges
- EMIB embeds tiny bridges into the substrate, no interposer
- EMIB-T and EMIB-M add through-silicon vias and power capacitors
- Google is booking 3M TPUs on EMIB via MediaTek by 2028
- Package sizes keep climbing: 5.5x reticle today, 40x ahead
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Chapters:
(0:00) "There Is No Chip Without the Packaging"
(0:28) Intro and SpaceX IPO Day
(5:15) What We're Covering: CoWOS, EMIB, Google
(7:40) Simple Packaging: Wire Bonds to Flip Chip
(17:07) What Makes Packaging "Advanced"
(33:44) CoWOS: Three Flavors Explained
(45:30) EMIB: Intel's Embedded Bridge Approach
(52:47) EMIB-T and EMIB-M
(57:31) CoWOS vs. EMIB Trade-offs
(1:02:18) Google's 3M TPU EMIB Order