NEC and Toshiba Extend 28nm Chip Technology Agreement

NEC and Toshiba have recently announced the expansion of their technology agreements with IBM to participate in the development of a new 28nm high-k metal gate (HKMG), a low-power chip technology focused on consumer products. Both companies are part of the IBM alliance for the development of a 28nm bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process technology. The alliance's basis is headquartered at IBM's facility in East Fishkill, New York, and includes a number of major industry players.

“The advanced 28nm low-power process technology will dramatically enhance the product's density, performance, as well as power consumption compared to the former 40nm node, providing highly competitive solutions, especially in the fields of consumer electronics and automotive.” said Masao Fukuma, senior vice president of NEC Electronics. “Utilizing this process technology with NEC Electronics' proprietary eDRAM, high-reliability, and low-power consumption technologies, we will focus on being the first to market with the SoC products that can meet our customers' expectations with added value.”

IBM technology alliance includes names like Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Infineon Technologies, NEC Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd., STMicroelectronics, and Toshiba. NEC joined the alliance in September 2008, while Toshiba joined earlier back in December 2007. The focus on 28nm technology is based on the success of an earlier joint development work in 32nm HKMG technology and is meant to provide the industry with a solution for faster processing speed and longer battery life, features that will be mandatory in the next-generation mobile communication devices.

“NEC Electronics and Toshiba bring significant skills and resources that will help ensure development of an industry-leading 28nm technology offering,” said Gary Patton, vice president for IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center. “Together, the alliance partners will deliver a high-performance, energy efficient technology to enable a full range of multifunction, power-sensitive mobile and consumer electronics.”