IBM Technology Alliance reveals 28nm chip plans

Author: Ben Hardwidge
Published: 17th April 2009
Comments (11) Stumble
IBM Technology Alliance reveals 28nm chip plans

IBM revealed these 32nm 0.15 square micron SRAM cells in 2007, but the new 28nm chips will measure just 0.12 square micron.

Intel only revealed its 32nm technology a couple of months ago, but IBM has now revealed that it’s already in the process of developing the technology for 28nm transistors. Yesterday, the company announced that the partners in the IBM Technology Alliance have now defined the standards for the 28nm technology, which the companies in the alliance will be jointly developing.

The IBM Technology Alliance features many key chip makers, including Samsung Electronics, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Infineon Technologies and STMicroelectronics. Perhaps more importantly, however, the alliance now also includes AMD’s former fabrication business, GlobalFoundries, which will now also be taking part in the development of 28nm chips.

As with Intel and IBM’s current 32nm chip designs, the 28nm chips will use low-leakage high-k metal gate technology, and IBM says that its early tests indicate that the 28nm chips can provide up to a 40 percent performance improvement over 45nm chips, with a 20 percent reduction in power consumption. The size of the chips will also be impressive; IBM claims that the technology will enable the production of SRAM cells that measure just 0.12 square microns.

A major target market for the technology is mobile Internet devices, and IBM says that the 28nm high-k metal gate technology will enable lower power consumption in standby mode, while also extending battery life.
IBM’s plans for 28nm technology were also mentioned in September 2008, when the Common Platform alliance (Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung Electronics) announced that it had teamed up with ARM to design a system-on-chip platform that used both 32nm and 28nm technology. The platform’s 32nm ARM Cortex processor was revealed at the Mobile World Congress in February.

IBM’s vice president of its Semiconductor Research and Development Center, Gary Patton, said that "Through this collaboration, IBM and its alliance partners are helping to accelerate development of next-generation technology to achieve high-performance, energy-efficient chips at the 28nm process level, maintaining our focus on technology leadership for our clients and partners."

The IBM Technology Alliance expects the first 28nm chips to go into “early risk” production in the second half of 2010, and evaluation kits have been made available to the chip market since March 2009.

Are you impressed by the IBM Technology Alliance’s plans for 28nm chips, and how will the technology affect the silicon industry? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
Quote C-Sniper 17th April 2009, 19:17
I think we are starting to run out of space. whats after 28nm? you can only get so small before technology has to change to another format
Quote hodgy100 17th April 2009, 22:42
Picometer comes after nanometer :P
Quote Fritzr 17th April 2009, 23:59
Next step is 3D designs. Current chips are designed as a massive drawing on sheet of silicon. Though they are layered to allow connections to cross without leakage they are stillessentially a drawing on silicon.

The next major change will be layering the current flat designs one on top of another with vertical interconnects.

There are a few projects working on it, but not much is being said about the progress toward 3D chip design.
Quote dec 18th April 2009, 02:32
sooner or later we'll be talking about putting a whole processor on a single silicon atom XD. exactly how small is a picometer anyways?
Quote lp1988 18th April 2009, 11:42
Quote:
Originally Posted by dec
sooner or later we'll be talking about putting a whole processor on a single silicon atom XD. exactly how small is a picometer anyways?

well for starters, there goes 1000 um on a millimeter and there goes 1000 nanometer on a µm. so we are talking pretty d*** small here
Quote Xir 18th April 2009, 13:57
Quote:
Perhaps more importantly, however, the alliance now also includes AMD’s former fabrication business, GlobalFoundries, which will now also be taking part in the development of 28nm chips.

:? Why is this new? AMD and IBM have been working together for ages* in IBM's east fishkill facility...

*well...ever since the AMD-Motorola alliance was cancelled
Quote MajestiX 19th April 2009, 11:16
so is amd skipping 32nm? pretty sure intel will follow through with it which by their calendar won't have 28nm till late 2011
Quote Cupboard 19th April 2009, 17:05
32 to 28 isn't exactly a huge leap...
Quote Toka 19th April 2009, 23:17
Ive said it before, Ill say it again

People underestimate the technical accomplishment of '45nm' or '32nm' etc. The closer we get to 16nm the more in awe I am.

We will be looking at (pseudo) 3D chips at 22nm and more of Mott's 'Strange Metals' will be used instead of SiO2. 28 is 'simply' a refinement of the 32 materials and synthesis techniques.
Quote thehippoz 20th April 2009, 02:11
Quote:
Originally Posted by C-Sniper
I think we are starting to run out of space. whats after 28nm? you can only get so small before technology has to change to another format

no doubt.. and you'd think the overclocking would be worse at a certain point from leakage
Quote Turbotab 20th April 2009, 06:32
Quote:
Originally Posted by MajestiX
so is amd skipping 32nm? pretty sure intel will follow through with it which by their calendar won't have 28nm till late 2011

28nm is a half node to 22nm. You are unlikely to see 28nm used in CPUs, AMD's next die shrink will be 32nm as per their roadmap.
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