IBM and austriamicrosystems have signed a development agreement for an advanced high-voltage CMOS process technology. Specifically, the two companies will enhance IBM's 180-nm RF CMOS technology with austriamicrosystems’ high-voltage module. This module is currently part of austriamicrosystems’ 350-nm high-voltage CMOS technology. Due to the strict modularity with the base process, customers designing on the 180-nm CMOS process may use their existing design IP.
The process will enable a wide range of applications, including intelligent power management ICs. The market for customized power management ICs in mobile devices is expected to triple in size to $3.4 billion by 2010, according to Table 2 of "Forecast: Customized Power Management ICs for Mobile Handsets, Worldwide, 2005-2010," by Steve Ohr and Masatsune Yamaji, from Gartner Dataquest.