Qualcomm Enlists TSMC’s 45-nm Technology

Wireless tech company Qualcomm has made the first phone call on chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC's) 3G chip manufactured with 45-nm process technology. The 45-nm technology enables chips delivering higher speeds, lower power consumption, and enhanced integration, plus, of course, with reduced die cost by providing more die per wafer. Qualcomm is also developing 40-nm process technology, which predicts even greater benefits in semiconductor performance, cost, and efficiency. "The first-time silicon success of Qualcomm's 3G product using TSMC's 45 nm process is a testament to the integrated foundry model that calls for end- to-end collaboration," Mark Liu, senior vice president of operations II at TSMC, said in a statement. "The confluence of Qualcomm's excellent designs and TSMC's robust technologies and manufacturing will continue to assure future silicon success."