> Galileo space probe [..] How many IC’s were needed? Over 50,000 for the probe itself, backups, testing chips etc.
I seriously doubt you need to fabricate 50k CPUs for a single space probe, including backups, testing chips, etc.
I seriously doubt you need to fabricate 50k CPUs for a single space probe, including backups, testing chips, etc.
The customer would order this minimum quantity, and most of it will probably be kept as spares.
Back then an interface between terrestrial computer systems and a Zeta Reticulan spacecraft required a small supercomputer on our side.
At least not from a practical perspective.
From an economic perspective, stopping after a single small run is just wasteful. The upfront design costs are so high, and the per wafer costs are so slow that you might as well make a lot extra. Maybe you can find a use for them, or sell them to someone else.
I read they had their own fab, so the minimum production run aspect would appear moot.