A group of semiconductor industry firms are collaborating to develop a common design platform for 32- and 28-nm systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) designs. The platform will be based on IBM’s high-k metal-gate (HKMG) technology. Joining IBM are ARM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Under this multi-year collaboration, ARM will develop and license a design platform of physical intellectual property (IP) including logic, memory, and interface products for the Common Platform technology alliance of IBM, Chartered, and Samsung for distribution to their customers. The early parallel development work between ARM and the Common Platform alliance leverages their respective industry-leading expertise in processor IP, physical IP, and technology development.
ARM also announced its intent to leverage the unique attributes of the Common Platform HKMG 32-/28-nm technology to develop customized physical IP targeted at achieving optimal power, performance, and area for their current and future Cortex processor family. The HKMG technology breaks down the historical barrier of scaling, allowing significant power and performance advantages by using innovations in material science.
The Common Platform partners intend to continue to expand the eco-system in this collaborative initiative to include more members in the near future. The additional partners will expand the offering of EDA support, services, and IP offerings.
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