IBM intros 28nm chips

IBM announced on Thursday that it, along with partners Chartered Semiconductor, GlobalFoundries, Infineon, Samsung and STMicroelectronics, are jointly developing a 28-nanometer low-power, high-k metal gate (HKMG) bulk complementary metal oxide (CMOS) semiconductor for use in future processors. The technology would be used in mobile and consumer electronics devices such as Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), where it would extend battery life. The 28nm chips would reportedly provide a 40 percent performance gain and more than a 20 percent power decrease compared to 45nm technology in a chip that's about half the size.

The IBM Technology Alliance, as the group of co-operating companies is known, has previously jointly developed 32nm HKMG chips. Clients can use those existing 32nm chips to design systems and thanks to a migration path laid out by IBM and its partners, can transition to 28nm technology without major redesigns.

Last December, IBM alliance released a 28nm low-power technology evaluation kit to early access clients, with an evaluation kit for open access released to the general marketplace in March of 2009. Early risk production is expected to begin in the second half of 2010.

In September of last year, ARM and the Common Platform alliance made up of IBM, Chartered and Samsung, co-developed a 32nm and 28nm system-on-a-chip platform, with the first product revealed at Mobile World Congress in February being an ARM Cortex processor using Common Platform 32nm HKMG technology.

By Electronista Staff