Ukrainian Drones Damage Main Workshop of Russian Angstrom Microelectronics Manufacturer

Ukrainian drones struck the facilities of Angstrom, a microelectronics and electronic components manufacturer in the Moscow region.

According to the CyberBoroshno project, the May 17 attack seriously damaged the plant’s water treatment unit, a critical part of the production process.

The company’s main production workshop was also hit. Satellite images show damage to the roof and signs of fire.

The facility is a modernized Soviet-era plant equipped with Western technology. The workshop processes 100 mm and 150 mm silicon wafers and has an annual production capacity of about 80,000 wafers.

More than 90% of the plant’s output is supplied to Russia’s defense industry for use in various weapons systems. The facility manufactures thousands of different electronic components and is one of the company’s most important production sites.

Another production building at the plant appears to have escaped damage. It was designed to process 200 mm silicon wafers and is capable of producing up to 15,000 wafers per month, or 180,000 annually – roughly equal to 300,000 wafers of 150 mm diameter.

In 2008, the project was expected to use AMD technologies and equipment, but the company later ran into financial difficulties. In 2021, the facility came under the control of NM-Tech, which began efforts to stabilize the plant’s operations.

The company is currently trying to restore production using 130 nm and 180 nm manufacturing processes. In the future, the equipment could support the production of chips using 90 nm and 65 nm process technologies.

Construction of a third production facility began in 2021. The project aimed to create a production line for 300-mm silicon wafers using a 28-nm chipmaking process.

While the building’s exterior appears almost finished, tender documents show that extensive construction work is still underway inside.

Due to sanctions, Russia cannot obtain the advanced lithography equipment needed for such production. Chinese alternatives are still being tested, making it unlikely that the facility will begin operations before 2030–2035.

In December 2024, the company filed for bankruptcy.