IBM & Samsung announce R&D for sub-20nm mobile semiconductors

Today, semiconductor manufacturers IBM and Samsung announced they will begin research and development on a new process technology that will be utilized in "a broad range of applications," in the general area of mobile telecommunications.

IBM, Samsung, and Global Foundries are partnered in what is known as the Common Platform technology alliance, where each company provides resources and expertise for the development of new bulk CMOS process technologies. IBM and Samsung have already established a joint development agreement to nodes starting at 20nm and beyond.

"We are pleased to have our top-level scientists involved with the cutting-edge research that's taking place at the Albany Nanotech Center," said ES Jung, senior vice president of technology development, System LSI Division, Samsung Electronics. "This should further enhance our joint efforts to continue technology leadership well into the future."

Next Tuesday, January 18, the Common Platform alliance will host the "Virtual Common Platform Technology Forum," where IBM, Samsung, and Global Foundries will reveal the technical details about their 28nm HKMG design for low-power applications, and discuss the roadmap to 20nm technology.