Chinese chipmaker licenses IBM's 45nm tech
IBM has licensed its next-generation technology for manufacturing processors to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., the largest Chinese chipmaker, the companies said Wednesday.
The partnership spotlights the growing technical abilities in China, a country that's already a manufacturing powerhouse for lower-tech products. Terms of the IBM deal weren't disclosed.
The circuitry on microprocessors has steadily shrunk in size, letting manufacturers squeeze more features onto chips, reduce power consumption, and lower chip prices. The industry currently is only beginning a transition from current chips built with 65-nanometer circuitry elements to those with 45-nanometer elements. (A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.)
"We are excited about the SMIC-IBM licensing partnership, which will accelerate SMIC technology advancement in logic process technology and help us provide optimal solutions for our customers at our 300mm facilities," said Matthew Szymanski, vice president of corporate relations for Shanghai-based SMIC, in a statement. The 300mm measurement refers to the diameter of silicon wafers from which chips are carved; SMIC said started 300mm wafer production earlier in December.
SMIC is a chip foundry, meaning that it manufactures chips that other companies design. Its 65-nanometer low-power manufacturing process currently is under qualification for customer products, the company said.
"China is a rapidly growing, strategic marketplace, and SMIC is the largest Chinese foundry," said Kevin Hutchings, IBM's vice president of intellectual property licensing, in a statement.
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
Normal business:
Companies like IBM fund R&D to make profits, whatever it means. And if it means that in 15 years they will be the one buying the technology from the others.. well, that´s too far away to be meaningful. Bottomline: they are not in the charity business, okay, we got it.
What is key in this post:
soon this lovely country will walk on your head, whether you´re African, American or European. Because there is still a strong sense of Nationalist feeling, pride to recover, and unity. Something many people lost on the way... So I say Congratulation to our Chinese friends, getting 45mn process so early means a very serious leap ahead, and more ability to be independant.
We are so stupid... this makes me sad.
We might as well send everything else to China also.... Carnivore,NSA related technology and such.
- 45 nm isn't a munition...
- by dargon19888 December 27, 2007 9:32 AM PST
- The US export laws don't cover this type of export.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(3 Comments)Having smaller chips doesn't make a missile fly straight, its the technology implementation that does.
I someone was sleeping at the switch.