Semiconductors

Samsung Electronics this week was awarded up to $6.4 billion from the U.S. government under the CHIPS and Science Act to build its new fab complex in Taylor, Texas. This is the third major award under the act in the last month, with all three leading-edge fabs – Intel, TSMC, and now Samsung – receiving multi-billion dollar funding packages under the domestic chip production program. Overall, the final price tag on Samsung's new fab complex is expected to reach $40 billion by the time it's completed later this decade. Samsung's CHIPS Act funding was announced during a celebratory event attended by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Samsung Semiconductor chief executive Kye Hyun Kyung. During the event, Kyung outlined the strategic goals of...

Samsung & TSMC Develop 8nm & 7nm Automotive-Grade Nodes

As vehicles are getting ‘smarter’ and gaining autopilot capabilities, it is easy to predict that the demand for higher-performing and more complex automotive SoCs will be growing rapidly in...

29 by Anton Shilov on 10/14/2019

New Tools & IP Accelerate Development of 5nm Arm ‘Hercules’ SoCs

Arm, Synopsys, and Samsung Foundry have developed a set of optimized tools and IP that will enable chip designers to build next-generation SoCs based on Arm’s Hercules processor cores...

9 by Anton Shilov on 10/10/2019

TSMC: N7+ EUV Process Technology in High Volume, 6nm (N6) Coming Soon

TSMC announced on Monday that its customers have started shipping products based on chips made by TSMC using its N7+ (2nd Generation 7 nm with EUV) process technology that...

27 by Anton Shilov on 10/8/2019

GlobalFoundries Mulls IPO Plans for 2022

After a decade of being a privately-held contract maker of semiconductors, GlobalFoundries has revealed that it's mulling going public in 2022. The move will help GF’s current owners to...

9 by Anton Shilov on 10/2/2019

TSMC Counter-sues GlobalFoundries: Accuses US Fab of Infringing Patents Across Numerous Process Nodes

In a not-unexpected move, TSMC late on Monday filed a lawsuit against GlobalFoundries, its pure-play foundry rival, accusing the manufacturer of patent infringment. In the suit, a response to...

24 by Anton Shilov on 10/1/2019

Arm & TSMC Showcase 7nm Chiplet, Eight A72 at 4GHz on CoWoS Interposer

Arm and TSMC this week unveiled their jointly developed proof-of-concept chip that combines two quad-core Cortex-72-based 7 nm chiplets on TSMC’s Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) interposer. The two chips are connected...

26 by Anton Shilov on 9/27/2019

GlobalFoundries Unveils 12LP+ Technology: Massive Performance & Power Improvements

GlobalFoundries has introduced its 12LP+ fabrication process that relies on the groundwork set by its 14LPP and 12LP technologies and provides significant improvements when it comes to performance, power...

41 by Anton Shilov on 9/25/2019

TSMC Responds to Lawsuit by GlobalFoundries: Allegations Are Baseless

TSMC has responded to GlobalFoundries accusations of patents infringements. The world’s largest foundry said that it would defend itself in courts and that it considered allegations as baseless. The...

62 by Anton Shilov on 8/27/2019

GlobalFoundries Sues TSMC Over Patent Infringement; Apple, Qualcomm, Others Named Defendants

GlobalFoundries has filed a lawsuit against TSMC and its clients in the USA and Germany alleging the world’s largest contract maker of semiconductors of infringing 16 of its patents...

97 by Anton Shilov on 8/26/2019

SMIC: 14nm FinFET in Risk Production; China's First FinFET Line To Contribute Revenue by Late 2019

SMIC, the largest contract maker of semiconductors in China, announced this month that it would start commercial production of chips using its 14 nm FinFET manufacturing technology by the...

53 by Anton Shilov on 8/16/2019

GlobalFoundries Sells Off Photomask Assets to Toppan

Following its decision to focus on specialized process technologies last August, GlobalFoundries has been consolidating its assets as well as selling off businesses and facilities that are not essential...

20 by Anton Shilov on 8/15/2019

Samsung’s Aggressive EUV Plans: 6nm Production in H2, 5nm & 4nm On Track

Samsung Foundry formally started to produce chips using its 7LPP (7 nm low power plus) fabrication process last October and has not slowdown development of its manufacturing technologies since...

42 by Anton Shilov on 7/31/2019

TSMC Announces Performance-Enhanced 7nm & 5nm Process Technologies

TSMC has quietly introduced a performance-enhanced version of its 7 nm DUV (N7) and 5 nm EUV (N5) manufacturing process. The company’s N7P and N5P technologies are designed for...

36 by Anton Shilov on 7/30/2019

LG Display & SK Hynix Looking to Diversify Industrial Suppliers as Row with Japan Intensifies

South Korean electronics companies reaffirmed this week that production of computer memory and displays could be disrupted because of ongoing trade dispute between the country and Japan. Both SK...

8 by Anton Shilov on 7/26/2019

TSMC: 3nm EUV Development Progress Going Well, Early Customers Engaged

Development of new fabrication technologies never stops at leading-edge companies such as TSMC. Therefore, it is not surprising to hear the annoucement that development of TSMC’s 3nm node is...

76 by Anton Shilov on 7/23/2019

Samsung’s 5nm EUV Technology Gets Closer: Tools by Cadence & Synopsys Certified

Samsung Foundry has certified full flow tools from Cadence and Synopsys for its 5LPE (5 nm low-power early) process technology that uses extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV). Full flow design...

13 by Anton Shilov on 7/8/2019

Synopsys to Accelerate Samsung’s 7nm Ramp with Yield Explorer Platform

Synopsys has announced an acceleration of development on its yield learning platform designed to speed up ramp up of chips made using Samsung Foundry’s 7LPP (7 nm low power...

16 by Anton Shilov on 7/4/2019

Marvell to Acquire Avera Semiconductor from GlobalFoundries

Marvell on Monday announced that it had entered into agreement to buy Avera Semiconductor from GlobalFoundries. The acquisition will bring additional chip design capabilities to Marvell and will enable...

8 by Anton Shilov on 5/20/2019

Samsung Announces 3nm GAA MBCFET PDK, Version 0.1

So what comes after 7nm, after 6nm, after 5nm, and after 4nm? That's right: 3nm! At Samsung's Foundry Forum event today, Samsung has announced that the first alpha version...

32 by Dr. Ian Cutress on 5/14/2019

Intel Process Technology Update: 10nm Server Products in 1H 2020, Accelerated 7nm in 2021

Intel provided an update regarding its upcoming fabrication technologies at its 2019 Investor Meeting. The company is on track to produce server-class products using its 10 nm manufacturing technology...

74 by Anton Shilov on 5/8/2019

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