IBM And ST Partner On Chip Technology

STMicroelectronics will collaborate with IBM on the development of 32nm and 22nm process-node technology, and will join the six-company semiconductor development partnership known as the IBM CMOS technology alliance. IBM and ST will work together on IP development and platforms to speed the design of system-on-chip devices in these leading-edge technologies, which are adapted for 300-mm silicon wafers. The companies will also expand the network at ST's 300mm wafer fab in Crolles, France to include other members of the alliance interested in the development of derivative SoC technologies. The alliance—made up of six companies that pool R&D and IP resources— includes Chartered, Infineon, Samsung, and Freescale. "The addition of STMicroelectronics to the IBM technology alliance continues to strengthen our ability to address the semiconductor industry's technical and economic challenges inherent in developing advanced technologies," John E. Kelly III, senior vice president of IBM Research, said in a statement. For the agreement between ST and IBM, each company will set up a development team at the other's facility. For bulk CMOS development, ST will establish an R&D team in IBM's Semiconductor R&D Center in East Fishkill and Albany, New York. IBM will install an R&D team at ST's 300mm wafer fab in France to jointly develop derivative technologies like embedded memory and analog/RF.