Cross-Foundry Partnering Ensures Design Portability

The industry's first cross-foundry design enablement program, just inked between Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and IBM Corp., will support leading-edge chip development starting at the 90-nm process node. The program builds on the existing joint technology and manufacturing deal already in place between the two companies. Yet it also sets a new standard for foundry compatibility, design portability, and flexible sourcing across multiple suppliers.

IBM and Chartered are already collaborating to expand the ecosystem of design technology and service providers with offerings prequalified for the two companies' 90-nm process node. The first key milestone is shared library support with Artisan Components Inc. and Virage Logic Corp., the leading suppliers of baseline libraries. The roadmap will continue with initiatives spanning electronic-design-automation technology files to system-level intellectual property, including joint qualification of reference design flows and third-party design services.