The LETI days and the associated FD-SOI workshop took place in Grenoble (France) last week and I could not attend in person… but I had the opportunity to speak with LETI CEO Marie Semaria. Before going into details into the 3 key messages from the LETI (FD-SOI, Silicon Impulse and Cool Cube), it’s important to share the great news from… Read More
Global Foundries Completes IBM Semiconductor Acquisition
Today the deal for GlobalFoundries to acquire IBM’s semiconductor division closed, having had regulatory clearance from Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States a couple of days ago. GlobalFoundries is, of course, owned by Mubadala which is owned by the government of the Abu Dhabi, and I have heard that there… Read More
GlobalFoundries IBM Deal to Close July 1st!
Probably one of the most awaited semiconductor events is coming next week if the Poughkeepsie Journal is correct, which from what I’m told by my Albany friends, they are. The official announcement was made last October using the slide deck which can be found HERE. It was originally thought that the approval process would take a year… Read More
GlobalFoundries Adds RF to 28nm
The internet of things (IoT) or internet of everything is a term that is into the red zone on the hype-meter. But it does genuinely have something of substance behind the hype. The thing that is a little deceptive is that the IoT term makes it sound like it is a market, but in fact it is several different markets: medical, automotive, … Read More
Flash Automobiles
Building flash memory for automotive is not straightforward. Just look at the specs you have to meet for grade 1 qualification:
- 100,000 cycles of endurance (writing new values)
- 10 years data retention
- all at 125°C (also needs to work down to -40°C)
GlobalFoundries have been working with Silicon Storage Technology (which is a wholly-owned… Read More
ASMC 2015: GlobalFoundries 22nm SOI plans and more!
The Advance Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference was held on May 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] through May 6[SUP]th[/SUP] in Saratoga Springs, New York. ASMC brings a unique operational perspective to technical conferences related to semiconductors. In this blog I wanted to discuss what I thought was the most interesting paper of the… Read More
GlobalFoundries: 14 in 15 in 8
How is that for a cryptic title? It is GlobalFoundries’ rallying cry. Their big focus is to bring up 14nm during 2015 in fab 8 in Malta NY.
Last week I chatted to Shubhankar Basu. He is the senior product line manager for leading edge technologies. Not surprisingly, that means he is currently leading the 14nm FinFET business. He told… Read More
FinFET vs FDSOI – Which is the Right One for Your Design?
As a professional conference goer I can see definite trends when it comes to topics and attendance. Thus far this year I have seen a double digit increase in attendance, which is great. The question is why? Why is the fabless semiconductor ecosystem leaving the safety of their cubicles and computer screens in droves to mingle amongst… Read More
Intel Goes After Broadcom
Intel continues shopping spree with Broadcom
AMAT drops TEL merger due to high remedy cost
Global Foundries wins Apple A9 business at 20nm for 6S & “6C”
Intel follows Altera with Broadcom chaser…..
Sources in the industry have confirmed that Intel is advanced discussions to acquire Broadcom, following… Read More
Apple Leaks Chip Sources?
Take a look at the figure below and tell me this information did not come from inside Apple. The question is: Was it voluntary or involuntary? Inquiring minds want to know! There are some minor surprises which I will get to in a minute but the actual source information is spot on to what I have heard the past few quarters. This spicy little… Read More
Facing the Quantum Nature of EUV Lithography