CPU

AMD Dreams of 45-nm High-K

The chipmaker is a little behind the Intel competition

By Bogdan Botezatu, Hardware Editor

12th of December 2007, 10:29 GMT

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The processor stage is a round-the-clock race for delivering the latest technology working at highest speeds and, of course at the lowest price. AMD had a little too many pit-stops lately, which gave Intel enough room to expand over the market.

AMD is planning on catching up with the technology and made a march towards the production of 45-nanometer high-k dielectric chips in the first half of 2008. While Intel had their 45-nm chips ready until November, AMD is still planning on technology. John Pellerin, AMD's director of logic technology development stated that "AMD is focusing more on customer applications for its high-k chips rather than the process technology race. We're not selling process technology".

AMD has transferred the 45-nm technology to their Dresden, Germany location, more precisely in their Fab 36. The 45-nm process involves using the latest technologies, such as immersion lithography, according to the same source. Pellerin manages a team of 70 engineers that are working on developing the high-k dielectric technology that will serve the 45- and 32-nm processor line.

AMD is closely working with their technology partners IBM, Chartered, Freescale, Infineon and Samsung to achieve a 32-nm development node. Moreover, the company has extended the 32-nm high-k chip development agreement with IBM until 2011. Pellerin states that the 32-nm high-k effort is "solidly in the development phase", and the technological shipment to Dresden is dedicated to prototyping, since AMD wishes the Fab 36 become one of the major producers of their new 32-nm chips. However, production of these chips is a long way ahead and the first chips scaled at 32-nanometer technology are due to arise sometime in 2010.

IBM has already made public their "high-k gate first" process for 32-nm chips, in collaboration with the old partners AMD, Chartered, Freescale, Infineon and Samsung, and AMD's director of logic technology development says that the achieved designs can allow various metal gate approaches to be implemented later.

TAGS:

AMD | Fab 36 | Intel | IBM | 32-nanometer

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