Samsung, SK hynix and Micron in talks on shared charging standard for fab robots
In brief
- The Seoul Economic Daily reported the chipmakers' charging-standard talks on November 8.
- Working-level staff set up a preliminary consultative body, with SEMI also involved.
- The talks cover battery specs, charger connections, charging-station communication and battery management systems.
- Older fabs are the target, the report says, as automation becomes increasingly essential there.
- No finished specification has been announced; the talks remain at an initial stage.
What the group is looking at
According to The Seoul Economic Daily report, working-level staff from the three chipmakers have set up a preliminary consultative body to work out the details. SEMI (the global semiconductor equipment and materials association) is also part of the discussions, the report said. In the source, it's the newspaper describing the effort. None of the three companies, and not SEMI either, has announced it.
The scope is wide. The group is looking at harmonizing battery specifications, charging-station communication, charging equipment, charger connections and battery management systems (BMS). That's fragmented today: battery specs and the way charging stations operate differ from one robot vendor to the next, according to the report, and the companies want robots from different makers to be easier to manage side by side.
Why older fabs are the focus
The push is aimed specifically at older fabrication facilities, where automation is becoming increasingly essential, the report said. Per the report, the stated goals include cutting maintenance costs, avoiding vendor lock-in and supporting unmanned operations in those plants. These goals are attributed to the report. They aren't direct company statements.
The group also wants to link charging information with manufacturing execution systems (MES), according to the report. Further out, the effort is seen as groundwork for making robots compatible with manufacturing operations systems more broadly, and the chipmakers expect the alignment to shorten robot development cycles and improve fab automation.
Where things stand
There's no standard yet.
Staff are currently identifying which items need to be standardized and consulting robotics and smart factory experts, per the report. No finished specification has been announced. For now it's a working-level effort, and the hard part (deciding what actually gets standardized) is still underway.
Frequently asked questions
What would the fab robot charging standard cover?
According to The Seoul Economic Daily report, the group is looking at harmonizing battery specifications, charging-station communication, charging equipment, charger connections and battery management systems (BMS). The report also says it wants to link charging information with manufacturing execution systems (MES).
Have Samsung, SK hynix and Micron agreed on a charging standard?
No. The report describes the talks as being at an initial stage, and no finished specification has been announced. Staff are still identifying which items need to be standardized and consulting robotics and smart factory experts.
