GlobalFoundries, ARM tip 28-nm process for mobile

LONDON — GlobalFoundries Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and ARM Holdings plc (Cambridge, England) have announced some details of two 28-nm manufacturing process technologies for wireless products. They also claim to have a mobile SoC "platform" based on the Cortex-A9 processor core.

ARM and GlobalFoundries will be showing the first 28-nm wafer with HKMG technology at Mobile World Congress, which opens in Barcelona.

The collaboration covers a 28-nm "super" low power process for mobile and consumer applications and a 28-nm high performance process.

Globalfoundries said it expects to start manufacturing the high performance process technology at Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, in the second half of 2010 and the super low power process, aimed at mobile applications about a quarter later at the start of 2011.

The two companies announced their collaboration in October 2009.

Globalfoundries claimed its 28-nm priocesses would allow a 40 percent increase in computing performance and a 30 percent improvement in power efficiency for mobile computing devices which in turn could translate to a 100 percent improvement in battery life.

Globalfoundries made the comparison with the 40/45-nm process generation but did not make any reference to particular manufacturers.

"We are working closely with ARM to optimize the physical IP and implementation of the Cortex-A9 processor with our proven manufacturing experience in high-volume, advanced technology products, to deliver a fully integrated platform for leading-edge wireless products and applications," said Globalfoundries chief operating officer Chia Song Hwee, in a statement.

The SoC platform is based on the Cortex-A9 processor core, optimized physical IP and Globalfoundries' 28-nm gate-first high-k metal gate (HKMG) process.
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Peter Clarke


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