Samsung Should Just Buy eSilicon Already!

As you all know I’m a big fan of the ASIC business dating back to the start of the fabless semiconductor transformation where anybody could send a design spec to an ASIC company and get a chip back. The ASIC business model also started the smart phone revolution when Samsung built the first Apple SoCs for the iPhones and iPads.

Today even systems companies that have been doing their own chips for years are now turning to the big ASIC companies for access to leading edge technologies and the design know-how to get them quickly into production. Cloud gateway chips for example, have become incredibly large and utilize bleeding edge technologies such as: FinFETs, High Bandwidth Memory, Ultrafast SERDES, and 2.5D Packaging.

This brings us to the topic at hand which is a newsworthy tape-out from eSilicon in partnership with Rambus and Samsung. It really is a nice proof point of my previous blog “Succeeding with 56G SerDes, HBM2, 2.5D and FinFET” which covered the “Advanced ASICs for the Cloud-Computing Era: Succeeding with 56G SerDes, HBM2, 2.5D and FinFET” seminar at Samsung HQ.

Before I get into the technology and gratuitous quotes it is interesting to note that two of the top three ASIC companies are tied to specific foundries. Avago/Broadcom is partnered with TSMC and IBM ASIC is now part of GlobalFoundries. eSilicon however is a switch hitter between TSMC and Samsung. So if Samsung wants to take their foundry business to the next level just buy eSilicon, absolutely.

The monster chip in question is on Samsung 14nm LPP and includes: eSilicon[SUP]®[/SUP] eFlexCAM™ TCAMs, eFlex™ embedded memories, extended-voltage-range general-purpose I/O (EVGPIO), a silicon interposer, 28G SerDes, a high-bandwidth memory (HBM2), five different types of custom memories, HBM Gen2 PHY, interposer design and a custom flip-chip package which is based on Samsung’s I-Cube[SUP]TM[/SUP] solution. I-Cube is Samsung’s full 2.5D turnkey solution, which connects a logic chip and HBM2 memory with an interposer.

eSilicon highlights

• Successful 2.5D ASIC production tape-out of networking and computing chip based on eSilicon’s silicon-proven Samsung 14LPP IP platform
• eSilicon’s end-to-end 2.5D/HBM2 solution includes 2.5D ecosystem management, HBM2 PHY, ASIC design, 2.5D package design, manufacturing, assembly and test
• Memory IP customization for optimal power, performance, and area
• Overdrive and super overdrive support speeds beyond 2.5GHz targeted to high-bandwidth, high-performance networking and computing applications

And now for the gratuitous quotes:

“I am delighted to announce 14nm network processor tape-out,” said Ryan Lee, Vice President of Foundry Marketing Team at Samsung Electronics. “This successful product tape-out was combined with eSilicon’s proven design ability in network area and Rambus’ expertise in SerDes and Samsung’s robust process technology along with I-Cube solution. This collaboration model is very unique solution which will have very big impact in network foundry segment. Samsung will keep developing its network foundry solution to be a meaningful total network solution provider aligned with its process roadmap from 14nm and 10nm to 7nm.”

“This successful 14nm network processor tape-out was combined with eSilicon’s proven design ability in network area and Rambus’ expertise in SerDes and Samsung’s robust process technology along with I-Cube solution.” said Ryan Lee, Vice President of Foundry Marketing Team at Samsung Electronics. “Our collaboration model will have a great influence on a network foundry segment and Samsung will keep developing its network foundry solution to be a meaningful total network solution provider aligned with its process roadmap from 14nm and 10nm to 7nm.”

“eSilicon is proud to deliver a complete 14LPP IP platform for high-bandwidth, high-performance computing,” said Patrick Soheili, vice president of product management and corporate development at eSilicon. “Working with Samsung at 14LPP, and beginning to work in 10LPP, allows us to build on our past success in HBM2, 2.5D and specialty memories at advanced nodes. This is one of the world’s first production tapeouts of a 2.5D ASIC.”

About eSilicon
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