AMD converts Texas fab to flash production

Advanced Micro Devices has begun producing flash memory at its Austin, Texas-based Fab 25 manufacturing plant.

AMD has been working to convert the plant from manufacturing PC processors such as the AMD Duron to flash memory as part of a plan to extend the life of the facility. The company says Fab 25 has passed a major milestone in the conversion process, as it is now producing large amounts of 32-megabit and 64-megabit flash memory chips. The last processors to be manufactured there will be shipped sometime during the third quarter, the company said, and AMD will shift processor production to its Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany. Flash memory is used to store data in a wide variety of electronic devices, including cellular phones and telecommunications equipment.