AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 27 -- International Sematech (ISMT) announced it will form a new consortium dedicated to helping semiconductor manufacturers reduce cost per wafer, and ultimately cost per die. The new subsidiary, International Sematech Manufacturing Initiative Inc. (ISMI), will be wholly owned by International Sematech and will operate from the same location in Austin, although it will have its own employees and participating companies. It will begin operations on Jan. 1. Mike Polcari, ISMT President and CEO, said the initiative will allow chipmakers with fabs to join current ISMT members in a Sematech-style environment focusing on manufacturing infrastructure, methods, standards and productivity. "Our aim is to create a global alliance of the world's major semiconductor manufacturers, focused exclusively on manufacturing effectiveness, to reduce the costs to produce finished wafers and chips, and to drive the big productivity challenges of the future, such as the next wafer size," Polcari said. ISMI members will be integrted circuit (IC) makers, including current member companies of International Sematech and companies currently in discussions with ISMI management. ISMI's programs will include fab productivity, equipment productivity, metrology and environment/safety/health. International Sematech is a global semiconductor technology development consortium that represents the semiconductor manufacturing industry on various issues; its members are AMD, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Infineon, Intel, Motorola, Philips, Texas Instruments and TSMC. For more information, visit: www.sematech.org