IBM has signed a series of semiconductor process development and manufacturing agreements with its joint-development alliance and technology partners for 32nm technology.
The partnership includes Infineon Technologies, Freescale Semiconductor, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung Electronics.
The joint development agreements between these companies will now include 32nm bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process technology and joint development of process design kits (PDKs) to support that technology. Building on earlier joint development and manufacturing agreements at 90nm, 65nm and 45nm, alliance partners will be able to produce high-performance, energy-efficient chips at 32nm.
The partners plan to collaborate to design, develop and manufacture advanced technology through 2010. The technologies, which range from next-generation hand-held products to high performance supercomputers, may be used by the five partners and other companies to help solve problems in fields such as medicine, communications, transportation and security.
IBM, Chartered and Samsung, as Common Platform technology manufacturers, will be able to use the jointly developed 32-nm process technology and design kits to synchronise their manufacturing facilities. This helps facilitate the flexibility to produce nearly identical chips for their respective high-volume OEM clients, who require a multi-sourcing model and expect early access to process technology.
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I´d have to say - ´help´ - in the longer term. It is well recognised that productivity in the UK lags well behind our major industrial competitors and...