Společnost Intel oznámila zahájení kroků, které již během tohoto roku povedou ke snížení obsahu olova v procesorech a čipových sadách Intel o zhruba 95 procent. Společnost se k odstranění olova z obalových materiálů čipů rozhodla s ohledem na životní prostředí.

Intel zahájí dodávky vybraných „bezolovnatých“ procesorů a čipových sad ve 3. čtvrtletí 2004 a integrovaných procesorů IA ve 2. čtvrtletí 2004. První dodávky „bezolovnatých“ paměťových čipů byly zahájeny již v minulém roce. Další produkty přejdou na tyto technologie dle schopností příslušných výrobních závodů. Nový systém balení čipů využívá bezolovnaté pájecí kuličky velikosti zrnka soli – pájecí materiál obsahuje většinu olova použitého v obalech procesorů Intel. Společnost Intel hledá ve spolupráci s dalšími firmami z odvětví spolehlivou náhradu zbývajícího množství olova nutného k propojení polovodičového jádra s pouzdrem procesoru.

Dále pokračuje zpráva v původním znění:
The transition to lead-free is a massive industry-wide effort with many technological, logistical and economic challenges. Since 2000, Intel has been working with industry consortia to come up with solutions that can be used around the world. To achieve this, the company developed reference procedures on its own research assembly lines to aide our customers implement lead-free technology in their manufacturing process. And, will continue to ship lead/tin versions of these products during the transition period for system manufacturers who need time to develop and qualify their lead-free processes and products.
ΓÇ£Intel shipped millions of lead-free Flash Memory components in 2003. TodayΓÇÖs announcement is the next major step on the road to a lead-free product line for IntelΓÇÖs high volume CPU and chipset product lines,ΓÇ¥ said Nasser Grayeli, Intel vice president and director of assembly technology development, Technology and Manufacturing Group. ΓÇ£Our goal has been to develop a total solution that addresses the needs and concerns of our customers and suppliers, from the package materials to motherboard manufacturing. By doing this, our customers will be able to launch platforms with the new lead-free technology in the second half of 2004.ΓÇ¥

Getting the Lead Out
Lead has been used in electronics for more than one hundred years because of its electrical and mechanical properties. It has been a scientific and technical challenge for industry researchers to develop new materials that meet the performance and reliability requirements for the different ways lead is used in components, products, and assembly processes. At the same time, various national bodies around the world have been working to reduce or eliminate lead and therefore the danger it represents to the environment and general health.
Intel qualified its first lead-free Plastic Ball Grid Array package in 2001 for use with its Flash memory, and shipped its first lead-free product in 2002. The lead/tin solder previously used for connecting this package to the motherboard was replaced with a tin/silver/copper alloy. This work allowed Intel and its customers to gain valuable insight about what was required both technologically and logistically to make the transition to lead-free technology.
IntelΓÇÖs new Flip Chip Ball Grid Array package (Figure 1) also uses a tin/silver/copper alloy to connect the chip package to the motherboard. However, until Intel and the industry can certify a replacement that meets performance and reliability requirements, a tiny of amount of lead/tin (about .02 grams) is still used inside the sealed package to attach the silicon core to the package.