Intel gets waiver after worries fuzzy US ban on foreign-made robots may hit fabs
Company says foreign-made robotic vehicles are crucial to US chip production.
Company says foreign-made robotic vehicles are crucial to US chip production.
The short version
- The uncertainty surrounding the Federal Communications Commission ban on certain foreign-made robots was revealed in the agency’s decision to grant Intel’s waiver request.
- On October 22, the FCC published its order allowing Intel to continue using the foreign-made robots in US semiconductor manufacturing facilities for a period of one year.
- The robots in question are automated guided vehicles operating on “tracks or predefined paths” while often requiring operator oversight, according to Intel’s website.
What happened
They help to move materials and items around within warehouses and factory floors. Such robotic vehicles are typically manufactured by Japanese companies like Murata Machinery and Daifuku Co., according to Bloomberg News .
Why it matters
But the exact types of robotic vehicles used by Intel were only identified in a “confidential appendix” that accompanied its request.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.