Russia’s largest semiconductor firm, Mikron, selling chip parts as souvenirs to earn extra cash
Russia’s largest manufacturer and exporter of microelectronics and semiconductors is selling souvenirs made from the wafers used to make microchips.
The company has turned its semiconductor wafers into souvenirs and is selling them for 12 500 rubles (around $170) to make some extra cash.
Buyers can choose from 12 different designs, with framed wafers including different patterns and commemorative texts.
“This satellite wafer with Mikron chips in a stylish and minimalist frame will be a true treasure for connoisseurs of technological rarities and anyone interested in science and technology,” notes the Mikron website.
The souvenir is made from a 200 mm-diameter wafer, which serves as a base for a microchip.
Depending on the product type, the wafer can store 30 to 120,000 chips.
“A wafer with transport and banking chips can accommodate a day's worth of Moscow metro tickets,” shares Mikron.
These wafers also include the AMUR MIK32 RISC-V chip, produced in Russia since 2022, notes X user Dmitrii Kuznetsov (via Tom’s Hardware).
He also noted that the company is “preparing to release a new RISC-V – MIK32-2.”
“Limited edition”
The company shared that these wafers are a limited edition. At the time of reporting, the website no longer sells the wafers, which are marked as “not available.”
The dimensions of these wafer plates are 270 x 270 x 15 mm, and they weigh 365 grams.
Each wafer design includes a different frame and some basic information about the wafer, calling it “techno exclusive,” adding its parameters, and stating that it’s made in Russia.
Semiconductor wafers, which look like thin, ultra-flat discs, are made from materials such as crystalline silicon and serve as a base for creating microchips.
Their diameters range from 100 mm to 450 mm, with 300 mm used for advanced processing.
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This isn’t the only thing interested customers can buy from Mikron’s souvenir shop. Among the company’s new products is also a small tube of air from the firm’s NWP clean room in Zelenograd, priced at 155 rubles (around $2).
Customers can also buy Mikron’s Russian dolls, also known as Matryoshka.
“Each nesting doll symbolizes the evolution of engineering – from the first transistors to modern technologies. It's the perfect gift for those who appreciate history and strive for the future,” says the product’s description.
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