Foundries News

• SMIC and ASTRI Collaborate on the Development of the World's First Dual Mode UWB MAC ASIC Supporting Both WiMedia Compliant WLP and China IGRS Networking Applications (Monday Apr. 21, 2008)
  SMIC and ASTRI today jointly announced their partnership to provide the world’s first dual mode UWB MAC IC using SMIC’s 0.13um mix-mode CMOS technology.
  
  
• TSMC Announces Power Trim Service for Advanced Chip Leakage Power Reduction (Tuesday Apr. 15, 2008)
  TSMC today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Blaze DFM, Inc. to offer Power Trim Service, a new service offering combining a patented Blaze power optimization technology with special variations of TSMC's advanced manufacturing process.
  
  
• TSMC March 2008 Sales Report (Thursday Apr. 10, 2008)
  TSMC today announced its net sales for March 2008: on an unconsolidated basis, sales were NT$26,562 million, a decrease of 6.4 percent from February 2008 and an increase of 21.2 percent over March 2007.
  
  
• New X-FAB 0.18 Micrometer Process Maximizes Cost-Effectiveness in Analog/Mixed-Signal Chip Design for Commercial Automotive and Power Management Applications (Tuesday Apr. 08, 2008)
  Industry’s lowest-mask-count modular 0.18 micrometer foundry process combines digital, analog, lowest Ron high-voltage, and embedded non-volatile memory options
  
  
• Chartered Extends Technology Development Collaboration with IBM to 22-Nanometer Process Node (Wednesday Apr. 02, 2008)
  Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing today announced the extension of its joint development collaboration with IBM to include 22-nanometer (nm) bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.
  
  
• Tower Semiconductor Ramps-Up Production of N-trig's Digitizer Chips (Thursday Mar. 27, 2008)
  Tower Semiconductor and N-trig combining pen and zero-pressure touch for mobile computers into a single device, today announced ramp-up of production of N-trig’s A-trig and D-trig – the newest digitizer chipset to be integrated in OEMs computer systems.
  
  
• TSMC First to Deliver 40nm Process Technology (Monday Mar. 24, 2008)
  The new node supports a performance-driven general purpose (40G) technology and a power-efficient low power (40LP) technology. It features a full design service package and a design ecosystem that covers verified third party IP, third party EDA tools, TSMC-generated SPICE models and foundation IPs. First wafers out are expected in the second quarter of 2008
  
  
• UMC and Elpida Partner to Serve Japan-based Foundry Customers (Monday Mar. 17, 2008)
  Under this agreement, Elpida will provide its 300mm wafer manufacturing capacity while UMC will contribute the IP support and logic technologies. The joint effort, targeting Japanese foundry customers, will commence at Elpida's 300mm fab in Hiroshima using advanced technologies and applications, including system on chip
  
  
• IBM and Hitachi Form Research Collaboration to Study Chip Characteristics at Near Atomic Scale (Monday Mar. 10, 2008)
  The new collaboration will focus on 32-nm and beyond semiconductor research and will use new methods that include the latest technologies to analyze semiconductor devices and structures in order to improve the characterization and measurement of transistor variation -- as well as to develop a better understanding of device physics
  
  
• TSMC February 2008 Sales Report (Monday Mar. 10, 2008)
  TSMC today announced its net sales for February 2008: on an unconsolidated basis, sales were NT$28,382 million, a decrease of 6.3 percent from January 2008 and an increase of 37.9 percent over February 2007. Revenues for January through February 2008 totaled NT$58,668 million, an increase of 41.6 percent compared to the same period in 2007.
  
  
• TSMC Announces Reorganization to Improve Structural Profitability and Strengthen Customer Partnership (Friday Feb. 29, 2008)
  TSMC announced today that it has approved the request of Dr. Kenneth Kin, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Service, to retire at the end of this year.
  
  
• Sun Selects TSMC to Fab 45-Nanometer and Future Generation Processors (Tuesday Feb. 19, 2008)
  Sun Microsystems today announced that it had selected TSMC as its foundry partner for processors based on a 45-nanometer design as well as future generations.
  
  
• Jazz seeks 'strategic alternatives' (Thursday Feb. 14, 2008)
  Is Jazz Technologies Inc. the first victim in the foundry shakeout in 2008? It appears so, as the company appears to be up for sale.
  
  
• TSMC January 2008 Sales Report (Thursday Feb. 14, 2008)
  TSMC today announced its net sales for January 2008: on an unconsolidated basis, sales were NT$30,286 million, an increase of 4.0 percent over December 2007 and an increase of 45.2 percent over January 2007.
  
  
• Texas Instruments new process techniques solve low-power challenges in delivering company's first 45 nanometer wireless device (Wednesday Feb. 06, 2008)
  Texas Instruments today disclosed process and design advancements enabling the first 45 nanometer (nm) 3.5G baseband and multimedia processor addressing critical power challenges in the wireless market
  
  
• Chartered Secures Additional Financing for Fab 7 (Tuesday Jan. 29, 2008)
  Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., one of the world’s top dedicated foundries, announced that it has signed an agreement for a US$190 million term loan facility from Societe Generale.
  
  
• STMicroelectronics Makes 45nm CMOS Process Available Through CMP (Monday Jan. 21, 2008)
  
  
  
• Foundry model under stress (Wednesday Jan. 16, 2008)
  After years of success, the silicon foundry model may be falling apart.
  
  
• TSMC December 2007 Sales Report (Thursday Jan. 10, 2008)
  TSMC today announced its net sales for December 2007: on an unconsolidated basis, sales were NT$29,120 million, a decrease of 3.4 percent from November 2007 and an increase of 30.1 percent over December 2006. Full-year sales for 2007 totaled NT$313,648 million, a decrease of 0.1 percent compared to 2006.
  
  
• TSMC Announces Multi-layer Mask Service (Monday Dec. 31, 2007)
  TSMC today announced the foundry industry’s first multi-layer mask service (MLM) for 90nm, 80nm and 65nm advanced process technologies.
  
  
• SMIC and IBM Sign Licensing Agreement (Wednesday Dec. 26, 2007)
  SMC and IBM today announced that they have signed an agreement to license IBM's 45-nanometer bulk complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology to SMIC for 300mm wafer foundry service
  
  
• TSMC Unveils New 65-Nanometer Mixed-Signal and RF Tool Qualification Program (Thursday Dec. 13, 2007)
  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. today unveiled a comprehensive Electromagnetic (EM) Tool Qualification Program that drives its Design Service Ecosystem partners to ensure greater accuracy of EM simulators and extractors used in applications such as high-speed digital clock circuits and high-frequency mixed-signal RF designs.
  
  
• TSMC Reports Foundry's First 32-Nanometer Technology with Functional SRAM (Tuesday Dec. 11, 2007)
  TSMC today announced it has developed the first 32-nanometer (nm) technology that supports both analog and digital functionality.
  
  
• UMC Releases 65nm DFM Design Enablement Kit (Tuesday Dec. 11, 2007)
  UMC today announced the release of its comprehensive all-in-one 65nm design for manufacturing (DFM) support package. The new DFM Design Enablement Kit (DEK) encompasses all the models required by qualified model-based DFM tools that support UMC's 65nm process technology.
  
  
• UMC's 90nm URAM Used in Mobile TV Applications (Monday Dec. 10, 2007)
  UMC today announced that DiBcom has successfully adopted UMC’s URAM embedded memory solution for its 90nm products manufactured at the foundry.
  
  
• TSMC November 2007 Sales Report (Monday Dec. 10, 2007)
  TSMC today announced its net sales for November 2007: on an unconsolidated basis, sales were NT$30,143 million, a decrease of 5.0 percent from October 2007 and an increase of 22.0 percent over November 2006.
  
  
• IBM Alliances Deliver Easier Path to Next Generation Semiconductor Products (Monday Dec. 10, 2007)
  IBM and its joint development partners -- AMD, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., Freescale, Infineon, and Samsung -- today announced an innovative approach to speed the implementation of a breakthrough material known as "high-k/metal gate" in next generation 32 nanometer (32nm) computer chips.
  
  
• TSMC Ships One-Millionth 12-Inch 90NM Wafer Fast ramping process reaches milestone in 4½ years (Monday Dec. 03, 2007)
  
  
  
• UMC Foundry Design Kit for New Cadence Virtuoso Platform Speeds Production of 65nm Designs (Monday Dec. 03, 2007)
  The kits will be available for designers using UMC's logic/mixed-mode 65-nanometer standard performance (SP) process and logic/mixed mode RF 65-nanometer low-leakage (LL) process. The Cadence Virtuoso technology helps accelerate silicon-accurate design of analog, mixed-signal and RF devices.
  
  
• NetLogic Microsystems and TSMC Collaborate on Industry-Leading 55nm Technology for Advanced Low-Power Knowledge-based Processors (Tuesday Nov. 27, 2007)
  NetLogic Microsystems’ latest knowledge-based processor, which was fabricated on TSMC’s 55nm-GP process, offers significant power, performance and cost advantages over competitive products as a result of the close collaboration between NetLogic Microsystems and TSMC