ARM, a leading developer of microprocessor technologies for mobile computers, and Globalfoundries, a top contract make of semiconductors, on Monday unveiled new details on their system-on-chip (SoC) platform technology for powering the next generation of wireless products and applications. The new chip manufacturing platform is projected to enable a 40% increase in computing performance, a 30% decrease in power consumption, and a 100% increase in standby battery life.

The ARM and Globalfoundries SoC platform is based on the ARM Cortex- A9 processor, optimized ARM physical IP and Globalfoundries' 28nm gate-first high-K metal gate (HKMG) process. Together, ARM and Globalfoundries will enable manufacturers of embedded devices such as smartphones, smartbooks, tablets and more to address increasing design and manufacturing complexities while reducing time to volume production at mature yields. Globalfoundries expects to start production on these next-generation technologies in the second half of 2010 at Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany.

The new platform includes collaboration on two Globalfoundries process variants: 28nm super low power (SLP) for mobile and consumer applications and 28nm high performance (HP) for applications requiring maximum performance.

As the market for "smart" mobile products continues to accelerate there is a clear need for increased performance to enable continued innovation in mobile applications. Globalfoundries' 28nm process with Gate-First HKMG technology provides significant performance gains over the previous generation 40/45nm technologies. Current estimates show 28nm with HKMG will provide approximately 40% higher performance within the same thermal envelope, delivering improved application performance and enriched multi-tasking capabilities on mobile devices. Globalfoundries is well positioned to bring this technology to market rapidly while offering customers the benefits of the widely adopted gate-first approach to HKMG.

Also, improvements in power efficiency are necessary with each new technology generation to deliver longer talk/standby time, multimedia playback and interactive gaming and graphics. The combined benefits of ARM IP and Globalfoundries 28nm HKMG process enables up to a 30% reduction of power consumption and 100% increase in standby battery life compared to 40/45nm.

Tags: Globalfoundries, Semiconductor